Chronic pain sufferers should take exercise, not analgesics, says NICE

People suffering from chronic pain that has no known cause should not be prescribed painkillers, the medicines watchdog has announced, recommending such patients be offered exercise, talking therapies and acupuncture instead.

In a major change of pain treatment policy, the National Institute for health and Care Excellence (NICE) say that in future, doctors should advise sufferers to use physical and psychological therapies rather than analgesics to manage their pain.

Painkillers such as aspirin 'do more harm than good' for chronic primary pain

Medical teams can also consider prescribing antidepressants, the government health advisers suggest.

NICE’s new guidance potentially affects the way many hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales tackle their condition because between 1% and 6% of the population of England is estimated to have chronic primary pain.

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Source: The Guardian, 7 April 2021