BACK PAIN, MEDICATIONS, AND SIDE EFFECTS

There is no such thing as medication side effects; there are only effects, some of which are desired, some of which are undesired. Medications are almost always processed centrally, especially oral medications. They affect the blood stream, brain, kidneys, liver. Common medications for back pain are no exception. Anti-inflammatories don't simply affect inflammation; that's merely their targeted purpose. Muscle relaxants don't simply affect muscles, they relax everything - often making you tired, slowing your thoughts, and decreasing anxiety. Opioids (narcotics) have a wide range of effects only one of which is pain relief. They also make you sleepy, decrease diarrhea, relax muscles, decrease anxiety, and provide a great "buzz" when taken recreationally. Which effect (s) are you going for? The vast majority of meds have generalized effects which vary between patients based on hundreds of physical factors including: sex, age, race, weight, body fat, health problems, and metabolism. In a particular patient, physical effects can depend on: dose, blood serum level, tolerance, food consumption, water consumption, sleep, exercise, etc. Psychological factors can powerfully alter medication effects between and within patients including: anxiety, depression, expectation, body preoccupation, obsessiveness, compulsiveness, etc. Patients who have a history of reported intolerance to most medications tend to be anxious, hypersensitive to bodily changes, and strongly obsessive-compulsive. The desired efffects of medications for back pain must continually be measured against the undesired effects. Only you can do this; it's your body. But remember, it can take one to four weeks for some undesired effects to diminish or go away. With pain related medical problems, the goal is to increase your function, activity, and independence. If a medication for back pain makes you less functional, e.g., unable to drive, that medication or dose is a failure - period. You shouldn't be taking it. Don't tell your doctors you are allergic to most or all medicines unless you have frequent, specific allergic reactions, which involve an immune response with a surge of immunoglobulin and generalized histamine. Classic signs of allergic reaction are itchiness, rash, rapid heart rate, sense of heat, and shortness of breath. Other reactions are undesired but not allergic.