There are many painkilling drugs available to treat different types and levels of pain. Painkilling drugs are known as analgesics. See other methods of pain control for more ways of relieving pain. Your medical team will aim to find the right combination of medical treatments and other therapies to ensure that your pain is managed in the best possible way.

Some people with cancer have chronic pain: this means that it is there for a long period of time and may be constant. It is recommended that people with chronic cancer pain should have regular painkillers. This is because it is better to prevent the pain and keep it under control, rather than let it build up until it is severe. Having severe pain can cause fear, anxiety and difficulty sleeping, which can make the pain worse and more difficult to control.

Painkilling drugs are usually taken by mouth – these are known as oral medicines. Many drugs are available as liquids for people who find tablets hard to swallow.

If you cannot take oral medicines, other methods can be used, such as suppositories (which are inserted into the back passage) or skin patches.

If you can’t swallow but have a feeding tube in place (such as a PEG tube), it is usually possible to take liquid painkillers through the feeding tube.

Painkillers can also be given by injection or by infusion, as a continuous dose given through a small tube into a vein or a fine needle placed just under the skin.

Whenever possible, painkillers are given as tablets, capsules, or as a drink. Some people need injections or infusions.

It is very important to store painkillers carefully. Make sure that they are properly labelled and lock them up or keep them out of reach of children. If you are worried about forgetting to take them, write a note to yourself and put it somewhere you will see it rather than leaving the medicines out. Alternatively, you could create an alarm on your computer or mobile phone and title it 'Painkillers'. You could keep track of when your drugs are taken by writing them in your pain diary. Always return any unused medicines to a pharmacist to dispose of.