TREATING ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER: HELP IF YOU ARE IN PAIN
DRUGS FOR PAIN
It makes sense to treat each level and kind of pain differently. At the lowest level is mild pain that responds to aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). Next come low-powered opiates, drugs such as codeine. As opiates go, these drugs are considered weak. In terms of pain relief, they can’t hold a candle to high-powered opiates such as morphine—the highest rung on the pain ladder. (However, these milder opiates generally are sufficient to ease moderate pain.) The biggest advantage to strong opiates is “their lack of ceiling effect,” as one study puts it. “Increasing the dose always increases the pain relief,” although it can also increase the side effects.
In addition, other drugs not generally classified as painkillers—particularly corticosteroids—have proved helpful in reducing inflammation and bringing relief from some spinal pain. Ask your doctor if one of these drugs might be right for you.
If you are elderly, have other health problems, or are taking other medications, certain painkillers may have a stronger effect in you than in other men. Be sure to discuss these factors, the side effects of various drugs, and the form in which you should take these drugs—a pill, or liquid, rectal suppository, skin patch, or shot—with your doctor. If you need additional information, your pharmacist may also be able to provide you with the package insert sheets for various drugs. These generally are impenetrable, written in tiny print, and confusing—they contain more information than most people want to know. They also tend to list every possible side effect, even the unlikely ones. However, some people find this information helpful.
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