3. Other types of pain medicine
Doctors also prescribe other types of medicine to relieve cancer pain. They can be used along with nonopioids and opioids. Some include:
-
Antidepressants. Some drugs can be used for more than one purpose. For example, antidepressants are used to treat depression, but they may also help relieve tingling and burning pain. Nerve damage from radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy can cause this type of pain.
-
Antiseizure medicines (anticonvulsants). Like antidepressants, anticonvulsants or antiseizure drugs can also be used to help control tingling or burning from nerve injury.
-
Steroids. Steroids are mainly used to treat pain caused by swelling.
How medicine is given
To relieve cancer pain, doctors often prescribe pills or liquids. But there are also other ways to take medicines, such as:
-
Mouth: Some pain medicine can be put inside the cheek or under the tongue.
-
Injections (shots): There are two different kinds of shots:
-
Under the skin: Medicine is placed just under the skin using a small needle. These are called subcutaneous injections.
-
In the vein: Medicine goes directly into the vein through a needle. These are called intravenous (IV) injections. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps are often used with these kinds of injections. PCA pumps let you push a button to give yourself a dose of pain medicine.
-
Skin patches: These bandage-like patches go on the skin. They slowly but steadily, release medicine.
-
Rectal suppositories: These are capsules or pills that you put inside your rectum. The medicine dissolves and is absorbed by the body.
-
In or around the spinal cord: Medicine is placed between the wall of the spinal canal and the covering of the spinal cord.
