But when it does occur, it can often be treated successfully. The best way to treat cancer pain is to address its direct cause. If a tumor is causing the pain, surgery, radiation or chemotherapy can be used to eliminate or at least shrink the tumor. However, sometimes it is not possible to identify or treat a single source of the pain. Nonprescription Pain Relievers - Medicines that relieve pain are called analgesics.
Analgesics act on the nervous system to provide temporary relief for pain.
They include aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. Prescription Pain Relievers - The most widely used prescription pain relievers are narcotics, which are significantly stronger medicines for pain relief. They include codeine, hydromorphone, methadone and morphine. However, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , opiate drugs are being used more often to treat severe, chronic pain. But this rise has not led to wider abuse of the drugs.