Central Halifax Primary Care Network

Managing
chronic pain

Chronic pain is a long term (chronic) condition that may not be cured or fixed. For some people the pain may reduce over time. For others, there are changes you can make that can help you live well with chronic pain.

Traditional treatments like pain medication only have a limited benefit for some people with chronic pain.

You might have already found this if you’ve tried different medications and treatments with little benefit.

Talking to a healthcare professional to find the right strategies and techniques for you is the best way to self manage your pain.

Getting the right support can help you to make changes to improve your quality of life

Chronic Pain and Medication

Most people with chronic pain will not benefit from using medication alone to treat their pain.

Medication can be part of a pain management plan alongside other strategies like:

education
activity management
taking care of your mental wellbeing

As chronic pain affects the nervous system it can affect your mental wellbeing. This makes it a difficult condition to accurately treat with medication.

There are different types of pain medicines for different types of pain. You may be prescribed a combination. Your pain can also change over time. It’s important to get your pain medicines reviewed at least once per year to see if they’re still effective and safe for you.

All medications can have side effects. Sometimes this can cause more problems than the condition itself. It could make your pain worse or create a physical dependency. With chronic pain it’s good to consider whether you think you’re getting more benefit from your medicines than side effects. You can speak to your GP, a Pharmacist or Pain Specialist for a review of your medications.

Opioids

The understanding of pain medicines in chronic pain has changed, particularly for opioids (medicines that produce a morphine like effect). They can be useful for a short time, for example, after an injury or surgery. For most people in the longer term they become ineffective and can be harmful. If you’re taking opioids, the chances are you’ll be experiencing at least some side effects.

Common side effects of opioids include:

dry mouth
dizziness
feeling sick
memory problems
sleep problems
weight gain
reduced sex drive

Gabapentinoids

Gabapentin and pregabalin, known as ‘gabapentinoids’, are used to help with chronic pain. They can be helpful for a small number of people with chronic pain caused by nerve damage or nervous system problems.

For people with chronic pain caused by conditions like osteoarthritis gabapentinoids are not effective or recommended.

Common side effects of gabapentinoids include:

weight gain
tiredness
problems with thinking clearly
dizziness

Living with Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is different from acute pain. There’s no simple treatment for chronic pain. Finding the right pain management strategies can help you live better with your pain and hope for some recovery.

Traditional medical treatments, like pain medications, have limited benefit for chronic pain.

Finding the best strategies and techniques for you is the best way to manage your chronic pain. Learning to self manage can take time and might involve learning some new skills.

CLICK the 'Learn More' button below for further advice about living with and managing chronic pain.

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