Common medications used for low back pain

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Medication can help you feel more comfortable when you have low back pain. The most important step for getting better is to resume your normal activities and get regular exercise. Try not to let the pain interfere with home and work life.

To ease your pain, you may find it helpful to apply heat to the low back with a disposable or reusable heat pack or patch. Some people prefer cold from an ice pack. Either one is fine, as long as you don’t apply it directly to your skin.

Over the counter medication may also help reduce the pain temporarily and allow you to continue your normal activities. The first choice to relieve low back pain is generally acetaminophen. Tylenol is one of the brand names.

If you can’t take acetaminophen or if you find that it doesn’t help, the second choice may be ibuprofen or naproxen. Brand names are for ibuprofen are Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin. Brand names for naproxen are Aleve and Naprosyn.

Muscle relaxants are rarely helpful for low back pain and can make you very drowsy and unable to drive or function in your daily life. Talk to your pharmacist if you need help choosing an over the counter medication for your low back pain.

If you follow all these recommendations, you will be able to return to your normal activities shortly. Your low back pain will likely improve within a few weeks. It’s important to continue your exercise routine after you get better to help your back heal completely.

If the medications listed above don’t give you enough relief, and if your pain is very severe and prevents you from doing your normal activities, your doctor may look into other medications. It is up to your doctor to decide if opioids are appropriate for you. Opioids are painkillers that are only mildly stronger than acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen. They don’t work for everyone. In fact, they have many side effects like drowsiness and constipation. They can also cause physical dependence. They should only be taken for short periods when pain is unbearable so that you can resume normal activities and help your back to heal.

You may have heard of people taking other medications for low back pain. In most cases, people take those medications even though studies show they don’t help or have serious side effects. It’s tempting to think there is a medication that can eliminate the pain completely, but that is rarely true for low back pain. Research shows that medications such as corticosteroids don’t work and may have serious side effects.

 
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