Cancer usually hurts. But how much it hurts, and what the symptoms of that pain are depend on the type and extent of our cancer, the treatment we're undergoing and, of course, our individual tolerance for pain.

Just because cancer hurts doesn't mean we have to deal with the pain. You should expect -- or even demand -- to be given all the information and resources necessary to make you as comfortable as possible.

Talk about it

This is no time for silence. If you're in pain talking about it with your healthcare team as well as your friends and family will often help:

• Let your doctors, nurses and pharmacists know.
• Describe your pain thoroughly to your caregivers, family and friends.
• Consider seeing a pain specialist, or ask your doctors to consult with one.

This is also no time for mincing words. When you talk about your pain, be thorough and specific. Tell anyone who might be able to help:

• Where you hurt.
• What the pain feels like. (Is it sharp? Dull? Throbbing? Steady?)
• How strong the pain is on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst.
• How long the pain lasts.
• What eases the pain, and what makes it worse.
• How much relief you're getting from any medicines you might be taking and what those medications are.

Using medications

From Tylenol to morphine, talking about the pain will help our doctors figure out how they can treat or even prevent it.

Mild to moderate pain
Here are some general options:

• Analgesics such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.

Moderate to severe pain
Narcotic pain relievers such as:

• Morphine
• Fentanyl (in the form of Duragesic, a transdermal patch)
• Codeine
• Oxycodone (more commonly known by the brand name OxyContin)
• Percocet (an acetaminophen and oxycodone combination).

Breakthrough pain
The only FDA-approved drug for breakthrough cancer pain -- characterized by rapid onset, severe intensity and short duration, and 'breaks through' other pain medications -- is a skin patch that goes by the brand name Actiq.

Managing your prescriptions

Here are a few steps to follow to help our doctors help us:

• Take your pain medicine on a regular basis if you suffer from persistent or chronic pain
• Do not skip doses
• Do not wait until you feel full-fledged pain to take your medicine -- the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to control the pain.

Dealing with addiction

In the past -- and still at times today -- the problem with getting treated for our pain has been the fear that we will become dependent upon these very potent pain relievers. Oxycodone, for instance, is so addictive it's called "hillbilly heroin" on the black market.

This isn't about tolerance. Many of us will develop a tolerance to our pain pills and need more of them to achieve pain relief. Instead, this is about concluding that we can't live without a specific drug, and will do almost anything to get it.

Signs of addiction include:

• Taking medication more frequently each day than prescribed.
• Taking medication for reasons other than pain, such as when we're feeling depressed.
• Lying about our pain and its intensity just to get more pills.
• Taking medication prescribed for someone else.

If you think that your or a loved one is becoming addicted to pain medication, talk to your doctor, or to a mental health professional.

See also

• Talking to about cancer
• Emotional impacts
• Physical changes
• Feedback on other cancer sites