Pain comes in different forms. It can be dull or heightened, numbing or burning, chronic or acute. It could be a minor aberration or wholly immobilizing. The sensation that one feels depends on the area of the injury, as well as the way the brain deals with the signals.
Usually, pain medications attempt to halt transmission of pain from the area of injury to the brain, or to directly affect the brain. Pain medication does not necessarily have a uniform effect on people. The threshold of pain varies from person to person.
For instance, for a similar injury, one person could require Over-the-Counter (OTC) medication while another may need a powerful prescribed drug. In such cases, the appropriate medication depends not so much on the condition of the injury than the person experiencing the sensation.
The most widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is ibuprofen. NSAIDs not only succeed in stopping pain but also reduce inflammation. There are three common Over-the-Counter NSAIDs available in the market. They are: naproxen, ibuprofen and aspirin.
Basically, ibuprofen and aspirin are short-acting medications, whereas naproxen lasts...