Paracetamol can do more harm than good, shouldn't be prescribed for chronic pain
By Lokmat English Desk | Published: August 5, 2020 12:18 PM2020-08-05T12:18:10+5:302020-08-05T12:18:10+5:30
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PAINKILLERS such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and aspirin can do more harm than good for chronic pain, health officials have said.
New draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) urged doctors not to prescribe the drugs to people suffering the condition.
Nice said there was "little or no evidence" the commonly used drugs made any difference to a patient's health, quality of life, pain or psychological distress.
And the new guidance, published on Monday, said there was evidence they can cause harm - such as addiction.
Chronic pain is a condition which cannot be accounted for by another diagnosis or as a symptom of an underlying condition.
It can lead to depression and disability - with the pain being felt in the muscles and skeleton, or even all over the body.
Nice said an estimated third to half of the population may be affected by chronic pain. Meanwhile, almost half of people with the condition have a diagnosis of depression and two-thirds are unable to work because of it.
Last year, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “incredibly concerned” by the rising trend of doctors prescribing pain pills, sleeping tablets and anti-depressant.