What is antalgic ?

Antalgic

Antalgic are drugs that reduce pain.

It should not be confused antalgic and analgesic. An antalgic is by definition a weaker analgesic. When suffering from minor aches and pains such as headaches, an antalgic to reduce pain enough so that with our own endorphins do not feel it more.

When it comes to migraines (small or large enough, a small antalgic may be sufficient depending on the intensity and the patient), headache (superior to simple headaches), chronic pain, pain due to surgery surgery (pulling stitches, during major operations, for example of cardiothoracic), an analgesic will be administered by prescription.

In recent years, doctors and the authorities have realized that the management of pain was essential to improve the “comfort” of the patient and thus to speed his recovery. To establish rules, we therefore classified the various substances into three levels according to their activity.

Classification of analgesics.

Level 1 is for acetaminophen (which is an antalgic) and anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (which is an analgesic), the noramidopyrine (or metamizole), etc..

If found to be low or moderate pain by a physician, these drugs should be prescribed first. They act primarily by inhibition of cyclooxygenase, an enzyme responsible for a cascade of reactions causing, among other things, pain.

The most common side effects are mostly stomach, but other serious disorders may occur in overdose.

Level 2 on opioid analgesics “weak” (derived from “light” of opium, morphine, therefore, also when present in small amounts do not constitute a major analgesic) morphine and opioids or minor such as codeine, dihydrocodeine, dextropropoxyphene and tramadol.

Codeine and dextropropoxyphene are often associated with analgesic level 1, because their modes of action are different and complementary. It is said that their action is synergistic. This type of substance acts in the brain to specific receptors responsible for the abolition of the pain.

The main side effects include constipation, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting or difficulty breathing. This type of components exposed to physical dependence.

Most of the Level 3 for opioid analgesics and opioids: morphine and its derivatives (pethidine, hydromorphone, etc.).

These drugs have the same characteristics and the same mode of action than the previous, but are more powerful. They are used in cases of severe pain refractory to analgesics or Level 2.

They have the same side effects as analgesics (and two “painkillers”) opiates and weak opioids (in fact they are from the same opium or their molecules are reconstituted in synthesis, with no molecular absorption with the opium) and can cause the same problems of dependence.

Co-analgesics – antalgic

In addition to these purely antalgic treatments and / or analgesics, there are other drugs that promote the action of analgesics or acting on the cause of pain.

In view of the case, these compounds may be prescribed, they are called co-analgesics.

These are the corticosteroids, antidepressants, anxiolytics or neuroleptics, anticonvulsants and antispasmodics.

It should not be confused analgesic and antalgic.