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Post # 1
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Join Date: 17 Oct 2010
Location:  Saudi ArabiaPosts: 38 |
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How do painkillers work? |
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There are two main classes of painkiller and they work via different mechanisms. The first class are aspirin drugs, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. They work chiefly by blocking the body's production of prostaglandins, one of the main sets of chemicals that produce the sensation of swelling and pain.
They act at the site of the injury and as the level of prostaglandins is reduced, swelling is reduced and the intensity of the pain is reduced. The second class of painkillers are the narcotic drugs, such as morphine and codeine. They work by blocking the path of the chemical messengers that signal pain in the spinal cord and brain. The first class of painkillers are suitable for treating mild to moderate pain, while the second class can treat moderate to severe pain. The effectiveness of the first class eventually reaches a ceiling so that beyond a certain dose they cannot reduce the level of pain. Narcotics don't have a maximum dose – the amount of drug can continue to be increased to give relief whatever the level of pain. Because the two classes of drug work via different mechanisms, it's possible to combine the two to give better relief than either would alone. |
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