HOW DO PAINKILLERS CURE HEADACHES?
Kieran King
There are two key types of painkillers that are commonly used. The first include ibuprofen and paracetamol, which block the body’s ‘prostaglandins’ – chemicals that produce swelling and pain – at the source of the pain, reducing swelling in the area and reducing the intensity of pain. These ‘aspirin medicines’ are used frequently for mild to moderate pain, but they can only work up to a certain intensity of pain. There are different types of painkillers within this group, such as anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen, commonly used to treat arthritis, sprains and strains. Aspirin can be used to help lower the risk of blood clots when used in a low dosage, as they thin the blood. Paracetamol is an analgesic, used for reducing pain and lowering a temperature.
The second type of painkillers include morphine and codeine, which block the path of pain messages in the spinal cord and the brain. This is for much more severe pain. As both types of painkillers use slightly different methods to treat pain, they can be combined, such as in co-codamol, which blends codeine and paracetamol.