Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Medications
Depending on your situation, your health care provider may recommend medication to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and relax your muscles. When taking any medication, follow all instructions and precautions given by your health care provider and pharmacist as well as those on the medication label and package insert. Contact your health care provider if you have any concerns.
NOTE: Because information about medications used to treat TOS is constantly changing, the following lists of medications are by no means comprehensive. For more detailed information about medications used for TOS, refer to the consumer version of the Physicians’ Desk Reference. Never use this information to treat yourself. It is no substitute for the experience and knowledge of your health care provider.
Medications used to treat TOS include:
NOTE: Because information about medications used to treat TOS is constantly changing, the following lists of medications are by no means comprehensive. For more detailed information about medications used for TOS, refer to the consumer version of the Physicians’ Desk Reference. Never use this information to treat yourself. It is no substitute for the experience and knowledge of your health care provider.
Medications used to treat TOS include:
- Simple analgesics (pain relievers) – These medicines may be given to relieve your pain. Examples include acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol, Tempra) and aspirin.
- Non-steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – These medicines may help relieve pain and decrease inflammation [Pop up bubble: redness and swelling]. Examples include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), naproxen (Aleve) and celecoxib (Celebrex).
- Muscle relaxants – Often used to treat muscle spasm, these medications may relieve pain by relaxing muscles. Examples include cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), carisoprodol (Soma), diazepam (Valium), methocarbamol (Robaxin) and tizanidine (Zanaflex).
- Nerve (neuropathic) pain medications – Treatment of nerve pain focuses on reprogramming how neurotransmitters send pain signals to the spinal cord and brain. Medications that may help relieve nerve pain by affecting neurotransmitters include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), venlafaxine (Effexor), amitriptylene (Elavil), imipramine (Tofranil), desipramine (Norpramine), nortriptylene (Pamelor), doxepin (Sinequan) and amoxapine (Ascendin).
- Opioids – These drugs are often called narcotics. Opioids may occasionally be indicated for TOS for limited periods of time in cases where severe pain is a symptom. You may be given an opioid after trying other medicines first. You may take an opioid in combination with one or more other medicines to manage your pain. Opioids have more serious side effects than other classes of medicine and possible problems with addiction. Examples of opioids and opioid combinations are tramadol (Ultram), hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) and oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet).