1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) 40 Ways to manage side effects Practice pain control. Î Take your pain medicine as prescribed by your doctor. If you have pain all the time, your doctor may suggest that you take your pain medicine on a set schedule. If you are on a set schedule, take the pain medicine as prescribed, rather than waiting to feel like you need it. Pain is harder to control and manage if you wait until you are in a lot of pain before taking medicine. Î Try deep breathing, yoga, or other ways to relax. This can help reduce muscle tension, anxiety, and pain. For relaxation exercises, visit Learning to Relax on the National Cancer Institute’s website at: www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/relaxation. Ask to meet with a pain or palliative care specialist. This person may be an oncologist, anesthesiologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, nurse, or pharmacist. They will talk with you about ways to control your pain. Tell your doctor, nurse, or pain specialist if your pain changes. Your pain can change over the course of your treatment. When this happens, your pain medicines may need to be changed. NCI’s book, Pain Control: Support for People with Cancer, provides more tips about how to control pain from cancer and its treatment. Available at: www.cancer.gov/publications/ patient-education/pain-control.
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