Painkilling drugs work to control cancer pain in most people. The key to controlling cancer pain is to take your medicine on a regular schedule. Do not wait until your pain gets bad. Pain is easier to control when you treat it just after it starts.

Be careful when taking nonprescription medicines. Talk with a pain physician before you take these medicines, especially if you have a fever or have had kidney or liver disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, or a stomach ulcer. Prescription medicines may be used alone or with other medicines. Depending on your pain, some of these medicines work better than others. Prescription medicines include:

Opiate pain relievers, such as fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and tramadol.
Other medicines that may be used with opiate pain relievers. These medicines may be given to help your pain medicine work better or to treat your symptoms. Or they may be given for certain types of pain. These include:
Anticonvulsants, to help control nerve pain like burning and tingling.
Antidepressants, to relieve pain and help you sleep.
Anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids (for example, prednisone or dexamethasone).
Bisphosphonates, such as pamidronate and zoledronic acid, to treat bone pain.
Local anesthetics, such as skin creams with capsaicin or lidocaine, to help relieve pain in the skin and surrounding tissues.