Does pain killer pills just numb your body or does it actually stop the pain?

Answer 1

opioid based medication (morphine, oxycodone etc) attach to the opioid receptors in the brain stem an reduce the amount of pain signals that reach the brain.

NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen etc inhibit prostaglandin production, prostaglandins play a roll in inflammation and also stimulate nerves to be sensitised to pain.

no pain killer gets rid of pain rather affects the way the brain perceives it.

rubbing someones hand while they are in pain can reduce pain, as the brain is 'more interested' in new signals as opposed to repeating signals. thus you touching the person will reduce the amount of pain perceived. also this is why lying still reduces pain.

hope this answers your question

Answer 2

Pain killers do not take the pain away they mask the warning to your body that something is wrong and needs attention.
Without finding out the cause of the pain you WILL be doing more damage to your body if you continue as usual
If the cause is muscle - a good book to help you understand is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies

Answer 3

It works on your brain, stopping pain there. It does not stop the pain or numb your body. It just tells your brain not to feel the pain. But who cares, as long as the pain goes away when you take the medicine.

Answer 4

It stops the pain. But im not sure if it numbs your body

Answer 5

Most of the time they stop the pain, if the type/strength you were prescribed work for your body and type of pain.

Answer 6

It depends on what type of pain medication you are using. There are differences between weaker, over the counter painkillers and stronger prescription painkillers.

Answer 7

Most of the heavy-duty ones (morphine, codeine, percocet etc) just affect the brain to stop the PERCEPTION of pain.

Anti-inflammatories like aspirin or advil stop, well, the inflammation response in the body that causes pain.