MEDICATION FOR CANCER PAIN: ANALGESICS

April 2009
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Posted by admin on Apr 21, 2009 under Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers

Simple painkillers In the absence of any locally correctable cause for the pain the simple painkillers such as aspirin and paracetamol should be tried. These should be taken on a regular basis. Drugs such as aspirin (600mg 3-4 times daily), and paracetamol (lg 3 times a day), or any of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Feldene or Orudis prescribed in doses sufficient to reduce pain.

Aspirin seems to have a greater pain relieving effect than paracetamol in cancer pain due to bone involvement. When these drugs cause vomiting nausea or gastric irritation, alternative forms of medication with protective coating such as Ecotrin tablets or the suppository forms of Indocid, Naprosyn and Orudis will be of value.

Adjuvant or ancillary drugs These drugs are known to assist the pain-killers to act more effectively than when the pain-killer is taken alone.

The antidepressant drugs appear to have a pain-killing effect which is quite separate from their primary role of relieving depression as discussed earlier in this book. The more commonly prescribed antidepressants of which Sinequan, Prothiaden and Anafranil are typical should be prescribed in doses of at least 50-100mg (2-4 tablets) per night. These drugs bring about a decrease in depression, improved sleep and a decreased need for pain-killers.

In those whom there is increased pressure around the brain due to brain tumours or blockage of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (the cerebro-spinal fluid), the steroid or cortisone drugs may help to decrease the pressure and thus the headache and pain.

The major tranquillisers such as Largactil are effective in reducing nausea and producing sedation where necessary.

The minor tranquillisers such as Valium, Xanax, and Serepax also have a role in the treatment of the anxiety associated with cancer pain and in the treatment of associated non-malignant soft tissue pain and muscle spasm.

Anti-epileptic drugs also have a role in the treatmenf’of cancer pain. The most commonly used drugs for the treatment of pain due to the cancers involvement of nerves are Tegretol and Rivotril. These will also be useful in the treatment of epilepsy caused by brain involvement in the cancer.