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Is persistent pain wearing on your patience?
A staggering 120 to 130 million Americans, nearly half of the adult population, reportedly rely on over-the-counter pain medications at least once a week. The generation most likely to reach for these quick fixes is Gen X, individuals born between 1965 and 1980.
However, not everyone experiences the soothing relief they seek. This could be due to selecting the wrong type of medication for their specific pain or developing a tolerance to the drugs over time.
In some cases, people should steer clear of these medications altogether. Those with conditions such as liver disease, kidney problems, stomach ulcers, heart disease, or high blood pressure may need to avoid or limit their use of pain relievers.
Additionally, incorrect usage might be to blame. While it seems straightforward—opening the bottle, placing the tablet in your mouth, and swallowing it with a beverage—there’s more to effective pain management than meets the eye.
There are actually five tricks to making OTC pain relievers work faster — no fancy tools required.
Choose the right formulation
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) starts working in 30 to 45 minutes, ibuprofen (Advil) in 30 to 60 minutes and naproxen (Aleve) in one to two hours, according to Tufts Medicine.
Liquid-filled capsules often work faster than traditional tablets — closer to five to 10 minutes — because they don’t need to be broken down in the stomach. They are already in a pre-dissolved or emulsified state.
Dissolvable tablets, meanwhile, can disintegrate within seconds once they come in contact with saliva.
Another way to speed up this process? Crush the tablets into powder — or get them as IV infusions under medical supervision.
Take on an empty stomach
Experts recommend taking ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin with food or milk to protect against stomach irritation, discomfort or ulcers.
However, pills generally dissolve and absorb faster on an empty stomach because they don’t have to compete with food for entry into the small intestine.
Also, certain foods bind to medications, reducing their effectiveness. Think dairy products with antibiotics, leafy greens with blood thinners and alcohol with acetaminophen.
Consume water
Drinking 8 ounces of water helps tablets dissolve properly and moves them through the esophagus and stomach more efficiently.
Drink coffee
Caffeine in coffee stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, which accelerates the movement of food and medication to the small intestine for faster absorption.
Studies show that coffee can enhance the pain-relieving effects of medication, especially aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen for headaches and migraines.
Plus, hot liquids significantly help tablets disintegrate faster.
Lay on your right side
This might surprise you — posture matters when you take a pain reliever.
The right side is the right side, according to a 2022 Johns Hopkins University study.
While lying on the right side, gravity helps the pill reach the deepest part of the stomach and moves it to the opening of the small intestine.
Johns Hopkins researchers found that a pill that dissolves in 10 minutes lying on your right side would take 23 minutes standing or lying on your back and over 100 minutes lying on your left side.
All that’s left is sweet relief.