1 / 8PAINKILLERS such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and aspirin can do more harm than good for chronic pain, health officials have said.2 / 8New draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) urged doctors not to prescribe the drugs to people suffering the condition.3 / 8Nice said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.4 / 8And the new guidance, published on Monday, said there was evidence they can cause harm - such as addiction.5 / 8Chronic pain is a condition which cannot be accounted for by another diagnosis or as a symptom of an underlying condition.6 / 8It can lead to depression and disability - with the pain being felt in the muscles and skeleton, or even all over the body.7 / 8Nice 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.8 / 8Last year, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “incredibly concerned” by the rising trend of doctors prescribing pain pills, sleeping tablets and anti-depressant.