How safe are painkillers for long-term pain management?

Painkillers for long-term pain management can lead to addiction and tolerance, according to Spine-health. Those who suffer from chronic pain are more susceptible to needing increased dosages to combat the pain, or they develop the false need to continue to take the medications out of habit.

Narcotic drugs work efficiently to relieve acute pain over a short course of time, as stated by Spine-health. Tolerance and habitation begin to develop in many patients if narcotics are taken for more than four weeks. The chance of dependence is lessened when painkillers are used briefly to treat temporary pain following trauma or surgery.