Pain killers

Caoimhín

Evening all,

I wont go into too much detail nut basically i have serious back problems (5 discectomys [Sic] in 4 years and going in for a fusion next month).

Anyway, over the past few years i have been on almost every pain killer there is. Anti-inflammatory, opiates, paracetamol, nerve blocks, the list goes on.

Now, with every one of these drugs i have found the side effects intorable. Also, it seems the most effective pain killers are addictive so i wont take them for more than 10 days or so.

My query is, with all the advances in medical science, why on earth cant we come up with an effective pain killer without the side effects/tolerance problems?

Thanks in advance.

Warrior011

They have been working on different compounds that act as painkillers without the side effects, recently they have made a breakthrough in their search by looking at scorpion venom. The full article can be read here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216163341.htm

It describes how they think that the scorpion venom may work to act as a non-addictive painkiller.

Caoimhín

Warrior011 wrote: »

They have been working on different compounds that act as painkillers without the side effects, recently they have made a breakthrough in their search by looking at scorpion venom. The full article can be read here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216163341.htm

It describes how they think that the scorpion venom may work to act as a non-addictive painkiller.

Thanks. It IS puzzling though how we can split atoms, walk on other celestial bodies, wipe out diseased but we cant stop the suffering of the millions of people in pain.

If i were so inclined to believe conspiracy theories i might think that there is profit to be made from others suffering.....

Warrior011

Caoimhín wrote: »

Thanks. It IS puzzling though how we can split atoms, walk on other celestial bodies, wipe out diseased but we cant stop the suffering of the millions of people in pain.

If i were so inclined to believe conspiracy theories i might think that there is profit to be made from others suffering.....

You're welcome. It is still in development, nowhere near clinical trials at the moment so it will probably be several years before it comes out, if it comes out. It is extremely dfficult to come up with a non-addictive drug with no side effects because the targets for these drugs usually control several processes.

Caoimhín

Warrior011 wrote: »

You're welcome. It is still in development, nowhere near clinical trials at the moment so it will probably be several years before it comes out, if it comes out. It is extremely dfficult to come up with a non-addictive drug with no side effects because the targets for these drugs usually control several processes.

Jaysus, such an evasive answer, you must be a doctor!

Thanks anyway, though it may be a little late for me as im in for a spinal fusion next month. Im just sick of the side effects of pain killers, but i suppose there is no such thing as a free lunch, if you know what i mean.

mardybumbum

I guess the real reason is that most drugs act on enzymes or receptors. But these enzymes and receptors are often shared by different pathways and tissues.

For example, some anti inflammatories work by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase involved in the production of inflammatory mediators.
However, that very same enzyme is involved in the production of substances that protect our gastric mucosa. Long term use may lead to peptic ulcers.

Beta blockers, drugs used to treat cardiac arrhythmias attach to beta receptors in the heart. But beta receptors are also found in the bronchial smooth muscle and can cause bronchoconstriction. They also inhibit glycogenolysis and glucagon release, by attaching to beta receptors in the liver, causing hypoglycemia.

* There are infact cardioselective beta blockers that dont have these effects but they were the first example that came to my head.

fearcruach

As mardybumbum said it is extremely difficult to target just one aspect of an enzyme or receptor.

For example they have been trying to make an opioid for 100 years now, that has painkilling activity but not the side effects. To date they still havn't managed to separate them. So its from lack of effort its just the sheer difficult of the task.

To put the conspiracy theories away, it would be much more in the interest of big pharma to develop a painkiller without side effects as it would sell more units than anything else on the market.

Warrior011

Caoimhín wrote: »

Jaysus, such an evasive answer, you must be a doctor!

Not far off it, I'm a medical student. And I was going to say what fearcruach said about the pharmacy companies making the money, but I wasn't sure whether it was going to be suitable for this forum or not, but anyway.

Caoimhín

Warrior011 wrote: »

Not far off it, I'm a medical student. And I was going to say what fearcruach said about the pharmacy companies making the money, but I wasn't sure whether it was going to be suitable for this forum or not, but anyway.

Thanks.

Sorry for venting lads, its just that im buckled with back pain and the doc's just fire morphine at me.

I run my own business and it doesnt help being out of my head.

Warrior011

Caoimhín wrote: »

Thanks.

Sorry for venting lads, its just that im buckled with back pain and the doc's just fire morphine at me.

I run my own business and it doesnt help being out of my head.

Its no problem venting, its not nice being crippled with pain, I've a bit of a bad back myself but its nowhere near the condition that yours is in by the sounds of it.

joestingle

I have been on many different kinds of pain killers for 33 years. i have also smoked pot for many many years. i have never abused pain killers and i am not addicted to pot. I have quite pot for 3 years at a time and i am presently not smoking pot. i feel that if you are truly in pain, then the meds work to relieve the pain and you don't feel high from it. i use to be addicted to cocaine base in 2000 and smoked that for 3 years and haven't touched it since or anything else, besides pot, that wasn't prescribed to me. i don't allow anything to run my life but myself.

Caoimhín

joestingle wrote: »

I have been on many different kinds of pain killers for 33 years. i have also smoked pot for many many years. i have never abused pain killers and i am not addicted to pot. I have quite pot for 3 years at a time and i am presently not smoking pot. i feel that if you are truly in pain, then the meds work to relieve the pain and you don't feel high from it. i use to be addicted to cocaine base in 2000 and smoked that for 3 years and haven't touched it since or anything else, besides pot, that wasn't prescribed to me. i don't allow anything to run my life but myself.

Well Morphine makes me sleepy and itchy. Pot makes me neurotic.

Rope and Tree may be the answer.

Piste

I get what you mean about the morphine. I've had a really annoying cough for the past 2 weeks and have been taking codeine for it. It makes me really sleepy and too relaxed, which is useless when I'm trying to study and just keep thinking "it'll be graaaaaaand..." then falling asleep