Cancer Pain: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

There are many things you can do at home to reduce your cancer pain, manage side effects, and feel better in your mind and body. Follow your doctor's advice. Talk to your doctor about any home treatment you want to try.

You may find that drugs you can buy without a prescription are enough to ease your pain at times. Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol, relieves pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, relieve pain and also decrease swelling.

If you have had kidney or liver disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, or a stomach ulcer, talk to your doctor before you take any of these drugs. Be sure you know how to safely use these drugs.

Other home treatments for pain include:

• Heat or cold therapy to relieve painful areas of the body.
• Stretching, yoga, and exercises to help maintain strength, flexibility, and mobility.
• Behavioral treatments, such as relaxation, biofeedback, meditation, or guided imagery.
• Healing touch and massage.
• Education and emotional support. Your doctor can refer you to the social services department of your local cancer treatment center or hospital.
• Complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, prayer, and humor therapy.

Pain medicine can cause many side effects. To help manage these side effects at home, try the following:

• Home treatment for nausea or vomiting includes watching for and treating early signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth, sticky saliva, and reduced urine output with dark yellow urine. Your doctor also may prescribe medicines for nausea and vomiting. For more information on how to deal with these side effects, see:

  Cancer: Controlling nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.

• Home treatment for diarrhea includes resting your stomach and watching for signs of dehydration. Talk to your doctor before using any medicine for diarrhea.
• Home treatment for constipation includes gentle exercise along with drinking enough liquids and eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Many pain drugs can cause constipation or make it worse. Check with your doctor before using a laxative.
• Home treatment for fatigue includes making sure you get extra rest. Let your symptoms be your guide. You may be able to stick to your usual routine and just get some extra sleep.

For more information about what you can do at home, see:

Cancer: Controlling cancer pain.

Last updated:	October 30, 2007
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC