How do painkillers work?

they stop pain signals being sent to the brain. so the pain is still there, but u just dont feel it.

Slows everything down, and like he said above. That's why combining Alcohol is so dangerous. Pain killers slow your heart rate/blood pressure and so does Alcohol. Too much and you don't wake up enough to puke it all out and drown in your own puke. Geesh I'm a drug educator, I JUST CAN"T STOP PREACHING> I need to go to bed.

Some painkillers block the reception of pain signals, others treat the source, and others work in a combination of these two manners by using some mix of drugs.

Non steroid anti inflammatory drugs inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis and inhibit hyaluronidase.They confine the pain gradually to a point and eliminate it. Steroid anti inflammatory drugs suppress inflammation. Narcotics induce mild to moderate sedation and delay and stop pain impulses from reaching pain center in brain.

Real good man!!! Do you want some??/

By slowing down, and immobilizing the signal from the nerves that are causing the pain. That is why, when you are not, in pain, and take them, you receive a high. The body does not know which signals to slow down.

An analgesic (colloquially known as a painkiller) is any member of the diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain and to achieve analgesia. This derives from Greek an-, "without", and -algia, "pain". Analgesic drugs act in various ways on the peripheral and central nervous system; they include paracetamol (acetaminophen), the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the salicylates, narcotic drugs such as morphine, synthetic drugs with narcotic properties such as tramadol, and various others. Some other classes of drugs not normally considered analgesics are used to treat neuropathic pain syndromes; these include tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsants.

It depends on the drug. Opiods (morphine, oxycontin, fentanyl, demerol, etc) work by activating opiod receptors, which are present throughout your body. Anti-inflammatory drugs (motrin, aspirin) work by decreasing inflammation by interrupting the formation of prostaglandins. Local anesthetics work by inhibiting the transport of sodium across neural cell membranes.

depends on which "painkiller" u're using they'd have different mechanisms of action. most blocks receptors from entering the brain. so u know the pain is there. but u dont feel it. others would take down inflammation around the area to decrease the pain