Common Pain Meds Don’t Provide ‘Good Relief’ for Most
If you’reِ suffering fromِ acute pain, don’tِ beِ surprised ifِ aspirin orِ acetaminophen doesn’tِ doِ the trick forِ you.
A newِ study finds thatِ onlyِ aboutِ one-third ofِ people whoِ takeِ oneِ dose ofِ aspirin (1,000 milligrams) orِ oneِ dose ofِ acetaminophen (600 mg) reported experiencing good pain relief.
Only 14 percent ofِ patients whoِ tookِ codeine (60 mg) saidِ they experienced good relief, theِ study showed.
Pain medications
The researchers included studies inِ which participants wereِ randomly assigned toِ receive a particularِ pain medication orِ a placebo toِ treat acute pain fromِ surgery.
Most ofِ these studies involved people whoِ hadِ had theirِ wisdom teeth removed.
For someِ medications, thereِ was notِ enoughِ information toِ sayِ howِ well theِ drugs worked.
For 46 drugs or drug combinations, there was enough reliable information.
One wayِ theِ researchers evaluated theِ drugs’ effectiveness wasِ toِ lookِ atِ the number ofِ people whoِ would needِ to takeِ that drug inِ order forِ one person toِ benefit (which theyِ defined asِ relieving halfِ of theِ pain).
For example, 2.5 people hadِ to takeِ 400 mg ofِ ibuprofen inِ order forِ one person toِ benefit.
Drugs thatِ lasted forِ more thanِ eightِ hours included di?unisal (sold asِ Dolobid) atِ 500 mg, oxycodone (10 mg) plusِ acetaminophen (650 mg), andِ celecoxib (400 mg; sold asِ Celebrex).
Hit or miss
Moore saidِ that whetherِ a particularِ drug works forِ someone isِ often hit orِ missِ — people eitherِ experience great pain relief, orِ noneِ atِ all.
If theِ firstِ painkiller a person triesِ doesn’tِ seem toِ beِ working, thenِ a doctor shouldِ lookِ to find anِ alternative reliable drug andِ see ifِ it isِ more effective inِ that individual patient.
There areِ plenty ofِ options thatِ haveِ a solid evidence base, Moore said.
