Demo Dozen

HOW DO WE BEST MANAGE PAIN?

 

Over-the-counter pain medications, like virtually all drugs, include specific instructions, often in tiny writing and perhaps with a range of possible doses (perhaps based on age or weight), as well as warnings on maximum dose or long-term use.  So, what is the BEST strategy for obtaining steady and adequate pain relief, but at the lowest possible dosage (and certainly at a dose below toxic levels!)?

 

 

This model provides an opportunity to explore those questions for a common painkiller, ibuprofen, aka "Advil" ®.  Advil, or a generic counterpart, is taken orally, enters and is largely broken down in the stomach, and is then absorbed and distributed via the blood through the body.  For a "typical" adult suffering "typical" pain, the suggested dosage is one or two 200 mg tablets every 6 hours, with a maximum of six tablets in a day.  Will that "work" for low pain?  What about moderate pain?  Severe pain?

 

Are there reasonable strategies for getting the most pain relief from the smallest possible dose?  Does knowing how the drug works in the body help you manage your pain better?  Help you avoid overdosing? 

 

This simulation allows you to select a pain level (low, moderate, severe) and then define a dosage (based on a number of tablets taken in the first dose, number of tablets taken in later doses, and time between dosages). As illustrated below with simulation output from three different strategies chosen to address high pain, there can be significant variations in terms of hours of ineffectiveness (observe #1) and/or levels of toxicity (#3) based on only slightly different dosage regimes. How well can you (safely!) manage pain?