Pain is an unpleasant sensory experience that is often (but not always) associated with tissue damage or inflammation. Analgesics are substances that can help reduce or relieve the sensation of pain. “Pain relief” can also be used as a descriptor or adjective, meaning that it relieves pain (e.g., pain-relief treatment).

Supplements like capsaicin have analgesic effects. Procedures like acupuncture are also claimed to be analgesic. However, “analgesic” is most often used as a shorthand for a prescription or an over-the-counter drug. Common examples of over-the-counter analgesics include acetaminophen (also called paracetamol), aspirin, and ibuprofen. If over-the-counter pain relievers are not sufficient in reducing pain, stronger analgesics like opioids (codeine, morphine, and oxycodone) can be prescribed. Although opioid analgesics are powerful and effective, they can have serious side effects and are associated with a risk of addiction.^[1]