For many years, the most widely used prescription pain relievers have been narcotics.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain and cause drowsiness or sleep.
In addition, they all have similar side effects. Historically, these drugs came from the opium poppy. They are also called opioids or opiates . Today, many narcotics are synthetic, that is, they are chemicals manufactured by drug companies. You can get these pain relievers only with a doctor s written prescription.