Barbiturates and some other medications seem to worsen post-Op pain. Narcotics on the other hand delay the need for a painkiller in the recovery room. The site of the incision and procedure also have a significant influence on post-Op pain. A surgery in the thoracic region seems to be the most painful type of operation, and lower abdominal surgery the least painful. Chronic pain and post-surgical pain can both be alleviated by the use of opiates.
Opiates are a type of drug extracted from the pod of the Asian poppy.
These drugs have been used medically and non-medically for centuries. Laudanum has been used since the 16TH century to stop coughing and diarrhea, and to calm nerves. In the 19TH century morphine was extracted in its pure form and became an injectable solution with the use of the hypodermic needle. In 1898, heroin was introduced. At first heroin was thought to be a remedy for morphine addiction.