Pain killers: few things you should know!  

We all have taken pain killer sometimes in our lifetime. They are simply over the counter drugs found in the pharmacy without prescription. So, they are easily accessible and commonly taken. Though they have very few side effects, we should be careful while taking them as sometimes they may land up us in serious medical complications. Here we will talk about the adverse drug reactions that may be produced by pain killer use. 

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What are the commonly used pain killers?

The pain killers we commonly use falls under the category of Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSADS). They are:

• Paracetamol/Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Combination tablet of Paracetamol + ibuprofen
• Mefenamic acid
• Anti inflammatory and pain relieving ointments and sprays

Where can you use pain killer?

We generally use pain killer for relieving pain to different body parts, headache, abdominal cramps, menstrual pain etc. Paracetamol is used in case of fever too.

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What side effects pain killer have?

Paracetamol: When taken in large dose or along with alcohol use paracetamol may cause liver damage. Excessive use of it may also cause renal damage.

Ibuprofen: They can bring up gastrointestinal upsets when taken in empty stomach and exaggerate heartburns and gastritis.

Mefenamic acid: They are commonly used for relieving the menstrual pain. Their adverse effects are also similar to the other pain killers like gastritis and heartburn along with liver damage if taken in large doses.

Rarely these pain killers can bring up rashes and idiosyncriatic reactions. They are unpredictable and so if anyone after taking these medicines have rashes, dizziness, nausea then should immediately report to the hospital.

Opiods: high grade pain killers

Opiods are quite high grade of pain killers than NSAIDS and should always be used only under the prescription of registered medial practitioner. Opiods have dependence tendency after the regular use. Also it has side effects more often and serious than NSAIDS like: dizziness, drowsiness, respiratory depression, constipation and so on. Its overdose sometimes can be fatal. 
So you must be careful while taking opiods and always use it under the prescription of medical practitioner.