• Question: How do certain drugs 'target pain' or is that just a marketing ploy to make us buy it?

    Asked by stephaniej to Darren, Deuan, Duncan, Lori-An, Michelle on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Lori-An Etherington

      Lori-An Etherington answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      HI, good question. Medications prescribed by doctors and bought over the counter do contain drugs that target pain. Paracetamol and aspirin are both drugs which target pain by inhibiting prostaglandins from being made and thereby damping down the bodies inflammatory response, which is usually the main contributor to the feeling of pain. Stronger medications prescibed by doctors include drugs such as morphine which works on u-receptors in the brain to suppress the feeling of pain. Having said this placebos (pills with nothing in them, such as sugar tablets) can help people with some kinds of pain too, which shows how powerful the human brain can be – although this is not exploited as a marketing ploy by medication manufacurers
      Hope this helps

    • Photo: Darren Nesbeth

      Darren Nesbeth answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Marketing ploy. They spread out through your system equally, but only have an effect on your pain receptors.

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