Doctors may recommend or prescribe pain killers for acute pain management. Most are administered orally and designed for short-term use. Studies such as the Cochrane review by Dr. R. Andrew Moore of the Oxford Pain University (Oxford University, United Kingdom) have ranked pain medications for effectiveness based on clinical trials.
Al medications for pain relief and pain reduction are called analgesics. When categorizing the best painkillers for a patient’s acute pain, doctors consider a range of options. Over-the-counter medications include acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which are sold under various trade names.
For acute pain management, physicians may also prescribe narcotic painkillers known as opioids. Codeine and oxycodone are two common types. Trade names vary, with Vioxx and Celebrx among the best known drugs due to significant television advertising by pharmaceutical companies.
