Percocet

The most powerful pain reliever is a class of medications known as “opioids,” which have a significant risk of addiction and dependency. These drugs are routinely recommended by doctors for severe pain treatment, as well as a variety of other illnesses.

Tylenol liver damage (acetaminophen) can occur from accidentally ingesting too much acetaminophen, or intentionally. Signs and symptoms of acetaminophen-induced liver damage may include nausea, vomiting, kidney failure, bleeding disorders, coma, and death. Acetaminophen is a drug contained in over 200 OTC and prescription medications from NyQuil to Vicodin. Avoiding unintentional overdoses includes reading medication labels, writing down the dosages of medications you are taking, do not drink excessive alcohol while taking acetaminophen. In severe cases, a liver transplant may be necessary.

There are many causes of lower back pain. Common causes of lower back pain (lumbar spine pain) include lumbar strain, nerve irritation, lumbar radiculopathy, bony encroachment, and conditions of the bone and joints.

Drug-induced liver diseases are diseases of the liver that are caused by physician-prescribed medications, OTC medications, vitamins, hormones, herbs, illicit (recreational) drugs, and environmental toxins. Read about the signs and symptoms of drug-induced liver disease like hepatitis (inflammation of the liver cells), liver disease treatment, and types.

The goal of pain management for each patient is to minimize suffering and improve quality of life. This goal may be different depending on the patient’s circumstances and disease or injury.

Hip pain can be caused by arthritis, bursitis, IT band syndrome, fracture, and strain. Symptoms include swelling, tenderness, difficulty sleeping on the hip, and loss of range of motion of the hip.

Shoulder and neck pain may be caused by bursitis, a pinched nerve, whiplash, tendinitis, a herniated disc, or a rotator cuff injury. Symptoms may include weakness, numbness, coolness, color changes, swelling, and deformity.

If you suffer from chronic pain, it can be frustrating when your pain medications are no longer effective. Here is what you can do when pain management doesn’t work.

Drug abuse and addiction is a chronic disease that causes drug-seeking behavior and drug use despite negative consequences to the user and those around him. Though the initial decision to use drugs is voluntary, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make the right decisions and increase the urge to take drugs. Drug abuse and addiction are preventable.

Acute injuries, medical conditions, and chronic use conditions are causes of knee pain. Symptoms that accompany knee pain include redness, swelling, difficulty walking, and locking of the knee. To diagnose knee pain, a physician will perform a physical exam and also may order X-rays, arthrocentesis, blood tests, or a CT scan or MRI.

Neck pain (cervical pain, cervicalgia) may be caused by any number of disorders and diseases. Treatment for neck pain depends upon the cause. Treatment typically involves heat/ice application, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injection, topical anesthetic creams, and muscle relaxants.

Kidney pain has a variety of causes and symptoms. Infection, injury, trauma, bleeding disorders, kidney stones, and less common conditions may lead to kidney pain. Symptoms associated with kidney pain may include fever, vomiting, nausea, flank pain, and painful urination. Treatment of kidney pain depends on the cause of the pain.

Muscle pain (myalgia, myofascial pain syndrome) is pain in the body's soft tissues due to injury or strain. Symptoms include muscle pain with tender points and fatigue. Treatment usually involves physical therapy, massage therapy, or trigger point injection.

Drugs commonly abused by teens include tobacco products, marijuana, cold medications, inhalants, depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, PCP, ketamine, Ecstasy, and anabolic steroids. Some of the symptoms and warning signs of teen drug abuse include reddened whites of eyes, paranoia, sleepiness, excessive happiness, seizures, memory loss, increased appetite, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, and irritability. Treatment of drug addiction may involve a combination of medication, individual, and familial interventions.

OxyContin and oxycodone are both pain-relieving prescription medications, or analgesics, that belong to opioid or narcotic drugs. Opioids are extracted from the poppy plant or its synthetic derivatives. Although opioids play a significant role in medicine in managing acute and chronic pain, they have a high potential of being abused.

Cancer pain is a common experience that may result from the disease, treatment, or diagnostic procedure. Check out the center below for more medical references on cancer, including multimedia (slideshows, images, and quizzes), related disease conditions, treatment and diagnosis, medications, and prevention or wellness.

Neuropathic pain is chronic pain resulting from injury to the nervous system. The injury can be to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or the peripheral nervous system (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).