Asking this as I have a horrible throat infection making it incredibly painful to swallow, and therefore difficult to eat and drink. I have to stay on top of my painkillers every four hours or the pain starts to come back, I’d just love to know how this actually works.
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Nothing to add on to your actual question but as a frequent recipient of sore throats/throat infections, salt water gargles throughout the day and especially right before going to bed should help you recover a little quicker. Get well soon!!
Nothing to add on to your actual question but as a frequent recipient of sore throats/throat infections, salt water gargles throughout the day and especially right before going to bed should help you recover a little quicker. Get well soon!!
Nothing to add on to your actual question but as a frequent recipient of sore throats/throat infections, salt water gargles throughout the day and especially right before going to bed should help you recover a little quicker. Get well soon!!
So much depends on the details.
Some painkillers like Ibuprofen are NSAIDs, they both reduce some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also reduces inflammation that is another type of pain. Two methods of action, one of them improves how your body heals.
Acetaminophen / paracetamol / Tylonol has a similar but slightly different effect. It inhibits some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also triggers a mild numbing / analgesic effect in some nerves.
Because they are processed differently in the body, physicians often give both of them together. Both of these effects last a few hours until your kidneys or liver (depending on the type) filters the drug out a few hours later.
Opioids block the receptors. As others point out, when you’re used to them it means your body will learn to “scream louder”, so it can hurt worse once you’re off. These are very useful for certain types of pain, but they’re strongly addictive.
Certain numbing agents like lidocaine, benzocaine, and similar nerve blocking drugs. Many are injected directly, others are topical ointments or sprays. Unlike the others that are considered analgesic drugs, or “pain reducers”, these are considered anesthetic drugs, that eliminate sensation entirely. They’re useful for other types of issues like when you skin your knee or want a spray for a sore throat. They block the nerve’s reception of pain entirely but don’t resolve the underlying problem.
So much depends on the details.
Some painkillers like Ibuprofen are NSAIDs, they both reduce some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also reduces inflammation that is another type of pain. Two methods of action, one of them improves how your body heals.
Acetaminophen / paracetamol / Tylonol has a similar but slightly different effect. It inhibits some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also triggers a mild numbing / analgesic effect in some nerves.
Because they are processed differently in the body, physicians often give both of them together. Both of these effects last a few hours until your kidneys or liver (depending on the type) filters the drug out a few hours later.
Opioids block the receptors. As others point out, when you’re used to them it means your body will learn to “scream louder”, so it can hurt worse once you’re off. These are very useful for certain types of pain, but they’re strongly addictive.
Certain numbing agents like lidocaine, benzocaine, and similar nerve blocking drugs. Many are injected directly, others are topical ointments or sprays. Unlike the others that are considered analgesic drugs, or “pain reducers”, these are considered anesthetic drugs, that eliminate sensation entirely. They’re useful for other types of issues like when you skin your knee or want a spray for a sore throat. They block the nerve’s reception of pain entirely but don’t resolve the underlying problem.
So much depends on the details.
Some painkillers like Ibuprofen are NSAIDs, they both reduce some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also reduces inflammation that is another type of pain. Two methods of action, one of them improves how your body heals.
Acetaminophen / paracetamol / Tylonol has a similar but slightly different effect. It inhibits some of the chemicals that are interpreted as pain, and also triggers a mild numbing / analgesic effect in some nerves.
Because they are processed differently in the body, physicians often give both of them together. Both of these effects last a few hours until your kidneys or liver (depending on the type) filters the drug out a few hours later.
Opioids block the receptors. As others point out, when you’re used to them it means your body will learn to “scream louder”, so it can hurt worse once you’re off. These are very useful for certain types of pain, but they’re strongly addictive.
Certain numbing agents like lidocaine, benzocaine, and similar nerve blocking drugs. Many are injected directly, others are topical ointments or sprays. Unlike the others that are considered analgesic drugs, or “pain reducers”, these are considered anesthetic drugs, that eliminate sensation entirely. They’re useful for other types of issues like when you skin your knee or want a spray for a sore throat. They block the nerve’s reception of pain entirely but don’t resolve the underlying problem.
Pain is a personal experience of each person experiencing pain.
You have “sensors” in your body called nociceptors. They tend to react to certain inputs, in a way as smoke detectors work. If there is smoke, they signal alarm. They respond to various inputs (compression, as in an actual hit, if I hit you), heat, cold, traction (touch) etc.
Your nervous system is a wiring system that passes through your spine, like cars on a high way. Destination? Your Operator.
So, smoke detector (nociceptors) > nerve (wire) > spine (high way) > brain (Operator).
Now, pain is a sensation you experience if Operator deems signal too loud for what’s normal, and what its used to feel/hear. It then uses previous experiences, the signal strength (how loud your smoke detector yells) and interprets what’s going on: that something dangerous happened. Operator is also responsible for an action as a response: like jerking your hand away from fire, because skin got burned.
Now, each pain drug have their own method of working.
1) Blocking nociceptors from triggering (like a plastic bag over a smoke detector) by attaching to them like Lego. No other piece can then be attached to them any more. See point 3.
2) Blocking wires from transmitting. Like epidural that blocks your spine (high way) from passing the signal on.
3) Removing source of pain. Inflammation creates chemical things that attach to nociceptors like Lego. Your Operator doesn’t really know if something is inflamed without those chemicals. Some drugs remove Inflammation, and with that the chemicals that trigger nociceptors (smoke alarm).
4) Some block your Operator from knowing anything is up. No signal gets through to it, so as far as Operator is concerned, everything is peachy.
I’m sure there is at least one pain scientist and a chemist that can correct me here 😀
Pain is a personal experience of each person experiencing pain.
You have “sensors” in your body called nociceptors. They tend to react to certain inputs, in a way as smoke detectors work. If there is smoke, they signal alarm. They respond to various inputs (compression, as in an actual hit, if I hit you), heat, cold, traction (touch) etc.
Your nervous system is a wiring system that passes through your spine, like cars on a high way. Destination? Your Operator.
So, smoke detector (nociceptors) > nerve (wire) > spine (high way) > brain (Operator).
Now, pain is a sensation you experience if Operator deems signal too loud for what’s normal, and what its used to feel/hear. It then uses previous experiences, the signal strength (how loud your smoke detector yells) and interprets what’s going on: that something dangerous happened. Operator is also responsible for an action as a response: like jerking your hand away from fire, because skin got burned.
Now, each pain drug have their own method of working.
1) Blocking nociceptors from triggering (like a plastic bag over a smoke detector) by attaching to them like Lego. No other piece can then be attached to them any more. See point 3.
2) Blocking wires from transmitting. Like epidural that blocks your spine (high way) from passing the signal on.
3) Removing source of pain. Inflammation creates chemical things that attach to nociceptors like Lego. Your Operator doesn’t really know if something is inflamed without those chemicals. Some drugs remove Inflammation, and with that the chemicals that trigger nociceptors (smoke alarm).
4) Some block your Operator from knowing anything is up. No signal gets through to it, so as far as Operator is concerned, everything is peachy.
I’m sure there is at least one pain scientist and a chemist that can correct me here 😀
Depends. I mean, its really all relative. If the pain is gone temporarily, then one could argue that it killed the pain, completely, temporarily.
If the problem is inflammation, then there may be an allergy related post nasal drip happening that is drying your throat up, making it hurt. Drinking water is the key.
You can also have an infection without a fever. If the throat ache goes on for a week, it helps to get a throat culture done to see if there is any infection.
As far as how painkillers work, they might indeed kill or dull the pain temporarily, but they dont kill any infection, or treat the root cause of the pain.
Theres a product out, AZO, which claims.to help with bladder infections. The problem with this OTC product is that some people use it when they start feeling a bladder infection, to FEEL better, and can end up with a kidney infection, because they used an analgesic or anti-inflammatory, and didnt get their doctor to prescribe an antibiotic. Its okay to FEEL better, but if the problem is lasting for a week, its time to get an antibiotic to kill the infection.
Once the infection is gone, along with the antibiotics, this will end the pain.
Depends. I mean, its really all relative. If the pain is gone temporarily, then one could argue that it killed the pain, completely, temporarily.
If the problem is inflammation, then there may be an allergy related post nasal drip happening that is drying your throat up, making it hurt. Drinking water is the key.
You can also have an infection without a fever. If the throat ache goes on for a week, it helps to get a throat culture done to see if there is any infection.
As far as how painkillers work, they might indeed kill or dull the pain temporarily, but they dont kill any infection, or treat the root cause of the pain.
Theres a product out, AZO, which claims.to help with bladder infections. The problem with this OTC product is that some people use it when they start feeling a bladder infection, to FEEL better, and can end up with a kidney infection, because they used an analgesic or anti-inflammatory, and didnt get their doctor to prescribe an antibiotic. Its okay to FEEL better, but if the problem is lasting for a week, its time to get an antibiotic to kill the infection.
Once the infection is gone, along with the antibiotics, this will end the pain.
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