When it comes to pain medications, analgesics and analgesics are two adjectives that come up often, but the exact meaning of which is not obvious.
Often confused, analgesics and analgesics can be distinguished based on their effect on pain. Analgesics are drugs used to reduce pain, while pain relievers are designed to eliminate it. In this sense, analgesics are part of analgesics since they reduce pain. These two types of treatment are therefore used to reduce pain but at different levels.
To better adapt treatment to the patient’s pain level, the World Health Organization has implemented a classification that goes beyond the terms of analgesics and analgesics and which classifies pain relievers into three main categories.
Level I, for peripheral analgesics such as paracetamol
Level I contains medication to deal with mild to moderate pain.
These are peripheral analgesics, which only work at the place of pain. the paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen fall into this category.
Levels II and II, for analgesics and central opium-based analgesics
Levels II and III group together analgesics with analgesic effect, that is to say capable of eliminating pain. They are said to be central because they act at the level of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Derived from opium, they are prescribed when the level I drugs are no longer sufficient to support the pain.
Stage II drugs are “weak” opioid pain relievers prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Medicines based on codeine, dextropropoxyphene and tramadol fall into this category. They are often associated with level I painkillers because their actions are different and complementary. “Weak” opiates have more side effects than Stage I drugs, such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and constipation.
Finally, Tier III drugs are “strong” opioid and opioid pain relievers. They include drugs based on morphine and its derivatives (buprenirphine, pentazocine, pethidine, hydromorphone) and are used to relieve severe to very severe pain. Very potent, they have the same side effects as the level II drugs. In addition, these last two categories can lead to problems of addiction and dependence, which is not the case with level I drugs.
In all cases, it is strongly recommended to read the instructions and to respect the dosage of these drugs, because there is a risk of overdose.
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