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Nerve Pain

Controlling nerve pain can be a challenge. There are many treatment options for nerve pain and your doctor may need to use more than one. These treatments can include: medication such as prescription pain relievers and in some cases anticonvulsants or antidepressants. Electrical stimulation to the area as well as other pain-reducing techniques may also be needed.

For those with nerve pain, it can be a long journey but do not lose hope. There are some examples of drugs your doctor may want to try.
 

Nerve Pain Treatment with Prescription Medications

There are many prescription medications you doctor can order. Some of these drugs may work for you, while others may not. Your doctor will select the best medication for you depending on the severity of your pain, the cause of the pain, potential side effects, along with many other factors.
 

Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants will often be considered first in the treatment of nerve pain. These special drugs were developed for those who have epilepsy in order to control seizures. But they also were found to be helpful for those with nerve pain. The side effects of these drugs include dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea.
 
Understand that some types of anticonvulsants will not help. Your doctor can make the best decision as to which will work for you and which will not.
 

Antidepressants

There are some types of antidepressants that can used to treat neuro-pathic pain. Pain experts often suggest one of two major types:
  • Tricyclic antidepressants are some of the oldest drugs used for depression. They are not used for that purpose much today, but have been found to be effective in reducing nerve pain symptoms. Several studies have reported that they are helpful for this. These medications do have some side effects, such as dizziness, blurred vision, constipation, and upset stomach. In some cases, they are not safe for those who have certain medical conditions, such as heart problems.
  • Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): These new antidepressant drugs also appear to help those with nerve pain. For the most part, these drugs will have far fewer side effects when compared to tricyclic antidepressants. For some people, those with heart issues, for instance, they may be safer. It should be noted that they may not be nearly as effective as the tricyclics for reducing nerve pain.
     
There can be an advantage to using antidepressants in those with nerve pain. The advantage is the pain sufferers can also suffer from depression. Long lasting pain can easily make someone depressed. Depression will make chronic pain seem even worse than it is. These medications may help improve mood while helping to reduce nerve pain.
  • Painkillers: In cases of severe nerve pain, doctors may prescribe opioid painkillers. These types of drugs will work very fast. They do have side effects and many doctors will use them only when needed. The opioid painkillers may cause stomach upset, constipation, and noticeable sedation. In addition, they may pose a risk of addiction as well as abuse. For this reason, they must be used exactly as ordered.
  • Topical pain treatments: There are many types of painkilling gels as well as lidocaine patches. These are applied on the skin, right at the pain site. Generally, they work best on smaller areas of pain. Common side effects include skin irritation and minor rashes.
  • Combination pain treatments: In some cases, the doctor will need to recommend more than one treatment. This is known as combination therapy. Studies have proven that combining certain types of medications, anticonvulsant with antidepressant, for example, will have better results on nerve pain than if one medication is used alone.