09.2026 Life Guide
The Great Decryption of Pain Relieving Medications
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Pharmacy Department / Pharmacist Luo Rui
Headaches, menstrual cramps, toothache, muscle soreness... Various types of pain troubles often affect our lives. To avoid torture, painkillers are a common medication for many people. However, seemingly ordinary painkillers come in various types, ranging from oral tablets, capsules, patches to ointments, with different properties and side effects. If used without understanding the ingredients and dosage, it may lead to overdose or repeated use, causing a greater burden on the body. This issue of 'Health Column' introduces the classification, uses, and precautions of painkillers to help you improve pain more safely and effectively.
Common painkillers include central analgesics and nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). As for controlled drugs that require further evaluation and prescription by a physician, they belong to opioid analgesics.
Central pain relievers
The well-known "Panadol" in the market, with the scientific name of its main ingredient being "Acetaminophen", mainly acts on the central nervous system to relieve pain by affecting the production and action of certain pain substances. It also acts on the thermoregulatory center to achieve fever reduction by regulating body temperature.
Acetaminophen is mainly metabolized by the liver. If consumed in combination with alcoholic beverages or in excess, it may cause liver damage. In addition, acetaminophen preparations are often combined with cough suppressants, antihistamines, and other ingredients as a comprehensive cold medicine; It can also be combined with caffeine to enhance the anti headache effect. Generally speaking, preparations containing caffeine are labeled as "strengthening tablets" and should be avoided by pregnant, breastfeeding, or caffeine sensitive individuals. As for the general public, they should consult a pharmacist before use to understand the ingredients and dosage of compound drugs and use them correctly to ensure medication safety.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs
This type of medication reduces the production of prostaglandins by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, in order to alleviate pain and inflammation. Cyclooxygenases are divided into two subtypes, COX-1 and COX2. The former helps protect the gastric mucosa and maintain kidney and platelet function. Inhibiting it can lead to gastric ulcers or increase the risk of bleeding; The prostaglandins produced by the latter can cause inflammation, pain, and fever, and their activity increases when the immune response is activated. Due to the fact that most drugs simultaneously inhibit COX-1 and COX2, in addition to pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects, they may also cause gastrointestinal bleeding or affect kidney function. It is generally recommended to take it after meals to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort; To avoid potential risks to the fetus, pregnant women must consult a physician or pharmacist before use.
Selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers have a greater inhibitory effect on COX-2 than COX-1, thus reducing gastrointestinal side effects and focusing more on inflammation and pain relief symptoms. Regardless of selectivity, some research reports have shown that long-term use of such drugs may increase cardiovascular risk. Therefore, if there is such a disease, the relevant medical history should be informed to the physician.
Opioids pain relievers
Opioid analgesics are commonly used for severe pain, long-term pain relief in cancer patients, and other situations. Although they have good analgesic effects, they may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and respiratory depression. They are also habitual, dependent, abusive, and socially harmful. If the dosage is suddenly reduced or stopped, serious withdrawal symptoms such as palpitations, night sweats, diarrhea, muscle soreness, etc. may occur. Therefore, they are listed as controlled drugs in Taiwan and must be carefully evaluated by physicians for special indications, and a pain control plan must be developed and prescribed before use.
Precautions after taking painkillers
Painkillers should be taken according to the instructions in the medication box or bag. If the pain symptoms persist and do not improve, it is recommended to seek medical attention to identify the cause and avoid delaying the condition. Do not increase or decrease the dosage or adjust the frequency of use on your own, and avoid taking two or more painkillers with different ingredients at the same time, otherwise it may increase the risk of side effects. If taking other medications at the same time, please inform the physician and pharmacist before using anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs for evaluation purposes; If using soreness ointment or soreness patch, please avoid duplicate ingredients and oral medication; If there is a drug allergy reaction (commonly seen in non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as skin itching, rash, eye swelling, facial swelling, etc., the medication should be stopped immediately and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.
In addition, patients with a history of gastric ulcers, gastric bleeding, abnormal liver and kidney function, cardiovascular diseases (such as hypertension, stroke history), pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and elderly people should be particularly careful when using it.
When facing pain, in addition to using anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, non pharmacological treatments can also be combined to control pain, including exercise, cold/hot compress, physical therapy, acupoint massage, etc., all of which can help alleviate pain.
Conclusion
Pain control is closely related to quality of life. In addition to understanding the precautions for painkillers, seeking medical attention to understand the root cause of pain and taking medication according to instructions is the fundamental way to solve the problem. If you have doubts about pain relief or medication use, it is advisable to consult a physician or pharmacist to ensure treatment safety and effectiveness, and protect your own health.
If you have any questions, please feel free to consult the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Drug Education Resource Center at (02) 7728-2123, click on the link, or scan the Medicine Gan Dan LINE @ QR Code to inquire.
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Common painkillers include central analgesics and nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). As for controlled drugs that require further evaluation and prescription by a physician, they belong to opioid analgesics.
Central pain relievers
The well-known "Panadol" in the market, with the scientific name of its main ingredient being "Acetaminophen", mainly acts on the central nervous system to relieve pain by affecting the production and action of certain pain substances. It also acts on the thermoregulatory center to achieve fever reduction by regulating body temperature.
Acetaminophen is mainly metabolized by the liver. If consumed in combination with alcoholic beverages or in excess, it may cause liver damage. In addition, acetaminophen preparations are often combined with cough suppressants, antihistamines, and other ingredients as a comprehensive cold medicine; It can also be combined with caffeine to enhance the anti headache effect. Generally speaking, preparations containing caffeine are labeled as "strengthening tablets" and should be avoided by pregnant, breastfeeding, or caffeine sensitive individuals. As for the general public, they should consult a pharmacist before use to understand the ingredients and dosage of compound drugs and use them correctly to ensure medication safety.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs
This type of medication reduces the production of prostaglandins by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, in order to alleviate pain and inflammation. Cyclooxygenases are divided into two subtypes, COX-1 and COX2. The former helps protect the gastric mucosa and maintain kidney and platelet function. Inhibiting it can lead to gastric ulcers or increase the risk of bleeding; The prostaglandins produced by the latter can cause inflammation, pain, and fever, and their activity increases when the immune response is activated. Due to the fact that most drugs simultaneously inhibit COX-1 and COX2, in addition to pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects, they may also cause gastrointestinal bleeding or affect kidney function. It is generally recommended to take it after meals to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort; To avoid potential risks to the fetus, pregnant women must consult a physician or pharmacist before use.
Selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers have a greater inhibitory effect on COX-2 than COX-1, thus reducing gastrointestinal side effects and focusing more on inflammation and pain relief symptoms. Regardless of selectivity, some research reports have shown that long-term use of such drugs may increase cardiovascular risk. Therefore, if there is such a disease, the relevant medical history should be informed to the physician.
Opioids pain relievers
Opioid analgesics are commonly used for severe pain, long-term pain relief in cancer patients, and other situations. Although they have good analgesic effects, they may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and respiratory depression. They are also habitual, dependent, abusive, and socially harmful. If the dosage is suddenly reduced or stopped, serious withdrawal symptoms such as palpitations, night sweats, diarrhea, muscle soreness, etc. may occur. Therefore, they are listed as controlled drugs in Taiwan and must be carefully evaluated by physicians for special indications, and a pain control plan must be developed and prescribed before use.
Precautions after taking painkillers
Painkillers should be taken according to the instructions in the medication box or bag. If the pain symptoms persist and do not improve, it is recommended to seek medical attention to identify the cause and avoid delaying the condition. Do not increase or decrease the dosage or adjust the frequency of use on your own, and avoid taking two or more painkillers with different ingredients at the same time, otherwise it may increase the risk of side effects. If taking other medications at the same time, please inform the physician and pharmacist before using anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs for evaluation purposes; If using soreness ointment or soreness patch, please avoid duplicate ingredients and oral medication; If there is a drug allergy reaction (commonly seen in non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as skin itching, rash, eye swelling, facial swelling, etc., the medication should be stopped immediately and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.
In addition, patients with a history of gastric ulcers, gastric bleeding, abnormal liver and kidney function, cardiovascular diseases (such as hypertension, stroke history), pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and elderly people should be particularly careful when using it.
When facing pain, in addition to using anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, non pharmacological treatments can also be combined to control pain, including exercise, cold/hot compress, physical therapy, acupoint massage, etc., all of which can help alleviate pain.
Conclusion
Pain control is closely related to quality of life. In addition to understanding the precautions for painkillers, seeking medical attention to understand the root cause of pain and taking medication according to instructions is the fundamental way to solve the problem. If you have doubts about pain relief or medication use, it is advisable to consult a physician or pharmacist to ensure treatment safety and effectiveness, and protect your own health.
If you have any questions, please feel free to consult the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Drug Education Resource Center at (02) 7728-2123, click on the link, or scan the Medicine Gan Dan LINE @ QR Code to inquire.
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