Back Pain Treatment: Medicine

A multitude of medications are available for the treatment of back pain. Generally, choosing which medication to use depends on whether your pain is muscle and bone pain, nerve pain, or a combination of both.

Muscle and Bone Pain

There are different classes of drugs that your doctor may prescribe to relieve symptoms of muscle and bone pain. These include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Narcotic medications or opioids
• Muscle relaxants
• Oral steroids

Nerve Pain (Neuropathic)

Nerve pain may result from an injury to a muscle, soft tissue, bones, joints, skin, or other organs. This type of pain is managed by medications that are not originally labeled as pain relievers, but have properties they may help in managing pain. These drugs are called adjuvant analgesics, they help the body reprogram the messages involved in transmitting pain signals: Adjuvants are a diverse group of drugs that include:

• Antidepressants
• Alpha-2-Adrenergic Agonists
• Anticonvulsants
• Steroid injections

• Back Pain and NSAIDs
• Back Pain and Ibuprofen
• Back Pain and Celecoxib
• Back Pain and Opioids
• Back Pain and Steroids
• Back Pain and Methylprednisolone
• Back Pain and Steroid Injections
• Back Pain and Alpha-2-Adrenergic Agonists
• Back Pain and Tizanidine
• Back Pain and Clonidine
• Back Pain and Tricyclics
• Back Pain and Anticonvulsants
• Back Pain and Gabapentin
• Back Pain and Muscle Relaxants
• Back Pain and Back Surgery

Most NSAID's work by blocking the action of prostaglandin through out your body, thereby producing pain relief. Our bodies have internal chemicals known as prostaglandin. When you injure yourself,...

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Opioids are powerful pain relievers prescribed for some patients with chronic lower back pain. The use of these drugs is complicated for both patients and physicians because of the controversy...

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Oral Steroids and Epidural Steroids are considered viable options for back pain treatment. Oral Steroids are also effective in the treatment of inflammatory reactions which occur in...

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There are alpha-2-Adrenergic Agonists that have shown to to relieve pain, namely: Tizanidine (Zanaflex) and Clonidine (Catapres). This type of agents have long been used for treating...

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Tricyclic antidepressants are thought to increase neurotransmitters in the spinal cord that reduce pain signals. They do not produce immediate effects, but once the appropriate dose is...

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Anticonvulsants are medications that are prescribed primarily to treat seizures, but they have been in use for many years to treat certain types of chronic back pain. Based on research, the mechanisms...

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Muscle relaxants are usually used for acute muscle problems, but they are sometimes incorporated into the treatment of back pain conditions that cause painful muscle spasms. They are effective...

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If drugs and other forms of back pain treatment fail to improve your condition, your doctor may suggest that you consider surgery. Surgery is usually the last resort for the [treatment of back...

Read more about Back Pain and Back Surgery.

1. http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/articles/410/medications
2. http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/backpain/BAK_surgery.html