Health Library Narcotic Pain Relievers for Acute Neck PainFrom Healthwise

Narcotic medications relieve pain by altering the way you feel pain.

Narcotics are recommended only for short-term treatment of severe, sudden (acute) neck pain.

Because these medications are potentially addictive, they are usually prescribed for a limited time (1 to 2 weeks).

Using narcotic medications to treat neck pain is not well-studied.¹

When a narcotic does relieve pain, it becomes less effective over time. The body becomes more tolerant of narcotic medication, and then a normal narcotic dosage provides less effective pain relief.

Side effects include:

• Drug addiction/dependence.
• Confusion.
• Drowsiness.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Constipation.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

Narcotics are not intended for use “until all the pain goes away.” They are intended to be used only for a few days at the most. Your health professional will probably only prescribe enough to get you through the most severe pain.

Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.

Citations

1. Binder A (2005). Neck pain, search date May 2005. Online version of Clinical Evidence (14): 1–22.

Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: August 24, 2006
Medical Review:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics
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