Medical experts warn against masking chronic pain with medication

Medical professionals emphasize that pain management should focus on identifying underlying causes rather than merely suppressing symptoms with medication. Dr. Sun Wei-ren of Cathay General Hospital warns that relying solely on painkillers can mask serious conditions. He cites a case where a professor experienced facial pain and treated it with medication, only to later discover it was a symptom of diffuse lymphoma in the brain.

Key warning signs that require immediate medical attention and diagnostic imaging include pain that persists for weeks, pain that wakes a person at night, and pain accompanied by neurological symptoms such as vision changes or limb weakness. Effective pain management aims to achieve three goals: relieving symptoms, identifying the cause, and restoring physical function to prevent complications like pneumonia or venous embolism caused by immobility.