"Pain" is a very difficult thing to nail down. It is a physical thing but also a psychological issue. The same physical pain, an identical injury, can manifest completely differently according to the patient's mental state. That's why VR games reduce pain in children undergoing painful treatments. That's why someone with severe chest pain can see it suddenly diminish once the doc rules it's not heart attack.
An opiod hits the mental half in a way the others do not. If you are in hospital with a compound fracture (bone sticking out of you) then you aren't just in severe pain but are also absolutely terrified. Opiods work in such cases. Within a minute you will be very happy. Advil might help with the physical pain but it won't put your mind in the same place.
An opiod hits the mental half in a way the others do not. If you are in hospital with a compound fracture (bone sticking out of you) then you aren't just in severe pain but are also absolutely terrified. Opiods work in such cases. Within a minute you will be very happy. Advil might help with the physical pain but it won't put your mind in the same place.