For thousands of years, narcotic pain killers have been used for pain. When we break a bone, have a heart attack or after a surgery, it is comforting to know that these medications will relieve our pain and suffering. Similarly, for those dying from cancer narcotics can give excellent pain relief.
Instinctively, we assume that narcotics must be the answer for any chronic pain we might suffer. An individual with chronic disabling pain will naturally request pain killers, so why are some physicians reluctant to prescribe narcotics?

Let us define two terms:
Opiate: A class of drugs that includes Morphine, Oxycodone, Methadone, Hydrodone, Codeine and Heroin.
Narcotic: A legal term used to identify certain potentially addictive drugs including some pain killers. In the United States, the prescription of narcotic medications is regulated by the DEA. The term narcotic is frequently misused as a synonym of opiate.
Whenever possible, the practice of medicine is conducted on a background of research studies. When a new drug appears on the market, it has to satisfy two requirements. First, it must be effective in treating the condition for which it is prescribed and secondly, it must be safe to use.
Narcotic pain killers have been around a long time and so have not been subjected to this scrutiny. A wise patient will want their physician to address two questions prior to prescribing narcotics: are they effective and are they safe?