Childhood Cancer

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Childhood Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors

Drugs used to relieve pain

As with other medicines, drugs used for pain relief can be given by various methods and can cause side effects. The following section lists some drugs commonly used to relieve pain. Many other medications are used to relieve pain in children, including acetaminophen, nalbuphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, and others.

Pain medication list

Several different names can be used to refer to each of the pain medications. You may hear the same drug referred to by its generic name, an abbreviation, or one of several brand names, depending on which doctor, nurse, or pharmacist you talk to. The following list provides the generic name of several commonly used pain medications and some of the most common brand names.

Drug Names Brand Name(s)
Codeine Codrix®
Dexamethasone Decadron®
Hydromorphone Dilaudid®
Meperidine Demerol®, Mepergan®
Methadone Methadose®, Dolophine®
Morphine Astramorph PF®, Avinza®, Duramorph®, Infumorph®, Kadian®, MS Contin®, Oramorph SR®, Roxanol®
Oxycodone Percocet®, Percodan®, Oxycontin®, Roxicet®, Roxilox®, Roxycodone®, M-Oxy®, Oxyfast®, OxylR®, ETH-Oxydose®, Tylox®

Codeine

How given: Intramuscular (IM) injection, intravenous (IV) injection or infusion, sub-cutaneous injection (Sub-Q), or pills or liquid by mouth (PO)

How it works: Codeine is an opiate that reduces pain.

Note: Codeine is added to numerous other non-narcotic pain relievers.

Common side effects:

  • Light-headedness
  • Dizziness
  • Sedation
  • Euphoria
  • Constipation

Infrequent side effects:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Allergic reaction
  • Slowed heart rate

Dexamethasone

How given: Intravenous (IV) injection or pill by mouth (PO)

Note: At low doses, this drug is used to treat headaches associated with increased intracranial pressure.

Common side effects:

  • Euphoria
  • Restlessness
  • Confusion

Hydromorphone

How given: Intravenous (IV) injection or infusion, pill by mouth (PO), rectal suppository, or subcutaneous (Sub-Q) injection

How it works: Hydromorphone is a narcotic pain reliever.

Precautions: Hydromorphone can cause slowed breathing.

Common side effects:

  • Dizziness and light-headedness
  • Sedation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Excessive sweating
  • Euphoria and other mood alterations
  • Headaches
  • Constipation
  • Slowed breathing

Infrequent side effects:

  • Hallucination and disorientation
  • Diminished circulation
  • Shock
  • Cardiac arrest

Meperidine

How given: Intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), or subcutaneous (Sub-Q) injection; or liquid or pill by mouth (PO). It is not as effective if taken by mouth.

How it works: Meperidine is a narcotic that works similarly to morphine.

Common side effects:

  • Sedation
  • Constipation
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Dry mouth
  • Flushing or sweating

Infrequent side effects:

  • Respiratory depression (slowed breathing)
  • Decreased blood pressure
  • Seizures
  • Headaches
  • Visual disturbances
  • Mood changes
  • Slowed heart rate

Methadone

How given: Intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), or subcutaneous (Sub-Q) injection; or liquid or pill by mouth (PO)

How it works: Methadone is a narcotic pain reliever.

Common side effects:

  • Light-headedness and dizziness
  • Sedation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Excessive sweating
  • Euphoria
  • Constipation
  • Loss of appetite

Infrequent side effects:

  • Respiratory depression (slowed breathing)
  • Decreased circulation
  • Depression or euphoria
  • Confusion
  • Shock

Morphine

How given: Intravenous (IV) injection or infusion, pill by mouth (long-acting or short-acting), liquid by mouth, or suppository

How it works: Morphine is a narcotic derived from the opium plant.

Common side effects:

  • Euphoria
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sedation
  • Dry mouth
  • Headaches
  • Drowsiness
  • Constipation

Infrequent side effects:

  • Reduction in body temperature
  • Respiratory depression (slowed breathing)
  • Allergic reactions, including hives
  • Seizures

Oxycodone

Zachary’s first surgery was fairly easy to recover from. His second, however, had a horrible 3-week recovery period, involving painful bladder spasms, extreme diarrhea, an infection in his Hickman® line, and massive weight loss. It took a lot of morphine to help him feel comfortable.

How given: Pills or liquid by mouth (PO)

How it works: Oxycodone is a narcotic derived from opium.

Common side effects:

  • Light-headedness
  • Dizziness
  • Sedation
  • Constipation
  • Nausea and vomiting

Infrequent side effects:

  • Respiratory depression (slowed breathing)
  • Skin rash
  • Mood changes
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Low blood pressure
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Delayed digestion
  • Allergic reactions
Antinausea drugs used during chemotherapyTopical anesthetics to prevent pain

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