Pain Medications Glossary of Terms

1. Slideshow: Surprising Reasons You're in Pain
2. Take the Pain Quiz!
3. Slideshow: Good and Bad Exercises for Low Back Pain

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Acute pain: Pain that comes on quickly, can be severe, but lasts a relatively shorter peri...

Addiction: An uncontrollable craving, seeking, and use of a substance such as alcohol or a...

Analgesic: A drug that relieves pain.

Ankle: The ankle joint is complex. It is made up of two joints: the true ankle joint and ...

Ankle sprain: A common musculoskeletal injury in which the ligaments of the ankle partiall...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Bumps: The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured b...

Bypass: An operation in which a new pathway is created for the transport of substances in ...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

Chills: feelings of coldness accompanied by shivering. Chills may develop after exposure t...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic pain: Pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over ...

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

Cox-2: Cyclooxygenase-2, an enzyme that acts to speed up the production of certain chemica...

Cox-2 inhibitor: An antiinflammatory drug that selectively blocks the cox-2 enzyme. Blocki...

Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot within a deep vein, typically in the thigh or leg. The ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a livi...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Fiber: The parts of fruits and vegetables that cannot be digested. Fiber is of vital impor...

Focal: Pertaining to a focus which in medicine may refer to:
1. The point at ...

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

Gout: Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, rec...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Infarction: The formation of an infarct, an area of tissue death, due to a local lack of o...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Kidney stone: A stone in the kidney or a stone that originates in the kidney but has passe...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Methadone: A synthetic opiate. The most common medical use for methadone is as a legal sub...

Morphine: A powerful narcotic agent that has strong analgesic (pain relief) action and oth...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Myocardial infarction: A heart attack. Abbreviated MI.

Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

NSAID: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a medication that is commonly prescribed or pu...

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Opiate: A medication or an illegal drug that is derived from the opium poppy or that mimic...

Opioid: 1. A synthetic narcotic that resembles the naturally occurring opiates. 2. Any sub...

Oxycodone: Oxycodone is the active ingredient in OxyContin. Oxycodone is an opioid, a clos...

OxyContin: A prescription painkiller that has become a popular and dangerous recreational ...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pain management: The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mi...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Placebo: A "sugar pill" or any dummy medication or treatment.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Sprain: An injury to a ligament that results from overuse or trauma. The treatment of a sp...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Substance abuse: The excessive use of a substance, especially alcohol or a drug. (There is...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

Tremor: An abnormal, repetitive shaking movement of the body. Tremors have many causes and...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Voluntary: Done in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of i...

Withdrawal symptoms: Abnormal physical or psychological features that follow the abrupt di...