How do we feel pain?
People feel pain just like how they feel any other physical sensation. Specific nerves called nociceptors detect tissue damage and transmit information about the damage to the spinal cord and the brain. Nociceptors are alerted by chemicals called prostaglandins which are released from the damaged regions of the body, after which signals are transmitted to the brain. These signals are processed to allow the body to react in the best way possible. Pain is considered to be more than just a physical sensation as it also has psychological, biological and emotional components to it.
What does pain medication do?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or painkillers, are one of the most common and efficient ways to stop the body from feeling pain. They come in liquid and pill forms, which both serve the same purpose but with the liquid form working faster than the pill form. A common misconception is that the painkiller will go to, and directly affect, only the part of the body that is currently in pain. However, this isn’t true at all. Pain relievers work with cells, the body's nerve endings, the nervous system, and the brain to keep you from feeling the pain. They achieve this not by quickly healing an area but by tricking the body into not receiving the pain signals at all. This is done by simply blocking cells from making and releasing the prostaglandins. When you take a pain reliever like ibuprofen, the brain won't get the pain message as quickly or clearly because the cells are being blocked from making or releasing prostaglandins, so your pain subsides or becomes less severe. It is important to know that the enzymes that make the prostaglandins (cyclo-oxygenase) are blocked, not the cells themselves, thus the cells are still functional.
sourced from https://www.spine-health.com/blog/how-pain-killers-sometimes-increase-chronic-pain
Why are pain medications so effective?
Firstly pain medicines like ibuprofen don’t target only one area of the body so there isn't a possibility of the medication missing the injured area. Another reason why they are so effective is that people don’t have any resistance to the medication so the body and immune system aren't working against the medication or treating it like a toxin, like they would with alcohol.
Why are pain medications dangerous?
The reason we take pain medication is to numb the senses, and that can be quite dangerous. The body’s way of recognizing problems of the physical kind is by being able to feel the pain and respond to the stimulus. By numbing the senses, the body can’t properly feel where the pain is so any secondary issues are not easily identified, especially if the patient is on a constant dose. Drugs such as marijuana cause the mind to become numb and allow negative emotions, such as pain or sadness, to be alleviated. However, this short-term “high” is incredibly addictive and can cause the person to overdose as the body begins to become resistant to the painkillers, which means that they would require more painkillers to achieve the same feeling.
During an overdose, the brain is overwhelmed by the drug so many basic functions like respiration and neurological signals are suppressed, which can lead to a cardiac arrest. Finally, since the body doesn't treat the pain killers as toxins, like it does with alcohol, an excess of painkillers won’t even be forcefully excreted through vomiting - it will simply stop the body from functioning.
Some final thoughts
In conclusion, although painkillers are one of the most useful inventions to alleviate pain, they are also one of the most dangerous even if you have no intention of using them as anything other than the prescribed medication; so it is important to always be careful when taking them.
Written by Athreya Nicolas Ravi
Citations:
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