Did you know most people think taking medication for back pain is effective? The research on common medication for back pain might surprise you. The following is research Dr. Kyle presented at a conference in the fall of 2025 to a group of 100 spine specialists.
- Gabapentin was originally developed for seizures but is now commonly prescribed for nerve pain like sciatica. The latest literature review shows no evidence has been found to support the use of this drug for sciatica or lower back pain.
- Muscle relaxers like cyclobenzaprine or Flexeril provide small but not clinically important reductions in pain intensity at or below two weeks and might increase the risk of an adverse event. In other words, the benefit is not much and it could do some harm.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as Aleve, ibuprofen, aspirin, meloxicam, etc., have been shown in studies to not have a clinically important difference in outcomes between these drugs and a placebo. Meaning: they are not much better or more effective than doing nothing.
- Opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, etc., show the effect is not likely to be clinically important within guideline recommended doses. The studies advise against their use for acute back or neck pain. They perform no better than placebo. This finding calls for a change in the frequent use of opioids for these conditions.
- Steroids such as prednisone seem to help 1 in 6 people with lower back and sciatic pain. The improvement seen is generally modest at best. They should only be used short-term.
Our clinic instead would advise seeking chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture and other forms of conservative non-drug treatment first. Simply put, the research on using drugs for back pain is very unimpressive.