There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not using standard pain management pills is better than a pain relief patch. If you don’t know what these patches are, they are usually coated with a type of pain medication or muscle relaxant that can deliver pain relief directly through the skin. This is absorbed, and in doing so, will eventually reach the muscles. These are used with opiates, plus they can also have some sort of anti-inflammatory. Those with anti-inflammatory components are designed for those that are currently suffering with a muscular pain of some sort. These can be placed at different areas such as your back, legs, arms, and are said to be very effective. However, there are those that would prefer using pharmaceutical or over-the-counter anti-inflammatories instead. Here is a quick overview of how these different products work, leading to a conclusion as to which one works better.
Different Ways That Pain Is Managed In The Body
Pain can be managed in the body using a wide variety of methods. If this is not muscular, pharmaceutical opiates are typically prescribed. If you have ever been given Vicodin or Percocet after a surgery, this is best suited for dealing with pain after an invasive operation. For those that have strained your muscles, anti-inflammatories are usually provided. These can be delivered from a pharmacist, or you could go to a local store to get the over-the-counter variety. These different pills will include NSAIDs, pills that you have likely taken before such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Motrin, Advil, and Aleve are among the ones that most people are familiar with. Acetaminophen in the form of Tylenol is also commonly used, but for muscle pain, NSAIDs are the most prescribed. Unlike opiates, these are capable of reducing inflammation. When you have a muscle strain, the anti-inflammatory properties of these pills is what allows you to experience what can be a dramatic reduction in the pain you are feeling while you recover. That being said, pain relief patches use something similar in order to keep your pain under control.
How Do Pain Patches Work?
Pain patches are applied to your skin and are able to deliver a consistent amount of some type of drug into your system. If it is going to use some type of an opiate, this is often in the form of fentanyl or morphine. If you obtain these over-the-counter, these are going to use what is called lidocaine. When you go to the dentist, they often inject you with lidocaine. This is going to numb the nerves that are connected to your teeth so that the dentist can do dental work on you. When lidocaine is absorbed by the skin, you get a similar reaction, and is often used as a form of alternative pain control for people that would prefer not taking opiates of any kind. As with all pain patches, the amount of time that it will work is limited. You will have to change it after several hours. This is similar to what happens when you take pain pills. Once they run their course through your body with real time pain relief, you will then have to take another.
When Were Pain Patches Invented
Pain patches have been available for many years. Initially, they began using morphine. As they began to experiment with more opioids, they realize that fentanyl was also a good alternative. These drugs have a way of convincing the brain that you are not experiencing as much pain. In the same way that you get an injection of lidocaine which prevents the brain from processing the extreme pain you should be feeling while you are having dental work, these work in a similar manner. In the last few years, the diversity of pain patches has become quite apparent, and physicians might be recommending these overtaking traditional pills more than ever before. As with most physicians that are apprehensive about prescribing any type of opiate at all, they may recommend lidocaine patches initially. In particular, fentanyl has been in the news for having led to the deaths of many people that have inadvertently taking them thinking there were something else. Fortunately, the low doses in the transdermal patches for fentanyl have proven to be very safe. What is not known is whether or not these will work for you just as well as taking pills that your doctor prescribes for pain.
Are These As Effective As Taking Pills?
These are comparable to using pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs that you take orally. It just depends on how your genetics are. Some people are more susceptible to the effects of taking the pills directly. Other people will be just fine with using the pain patches. If you do have muscular pain, and you are using lidocaine, this might prove to be more effective immediately than ibuprofen or something similar. You will have to try each one out, and based upon the recommendation of your physician, they can help you determine which solution will be best for you. All you need to know is that pain patches will provide you with an alternative that has worked with thousands of people. How it works with you remains to be seen until you try them out. Whether you start with over-the-counter pain patches, or if you get a prescription from your doctor, you need to at least try one of them to see if you can reduce the pain you are feeling.
When pain patches first came out, they were thought to be a novelty. No one actually believe that they could be just as effective as pills that you would swallow. However, as time has passed, they have become exceedingly popular, often promoted by those that have been able to achieve pain relief where pills have not been helpful. You can try the lidocaine patches over-the-counter, or you may want to get a prescription for more severe types of pain that you are experiencing. It is only by testing out each one that you will eventually find something that will control your pain just as well, or even better than, taking pills orally.
