Drugs, Medications, and Spinal Injections to Relieve Sciatica

Your doctor may prescribe drugs, medications, or spinal injections to treat your sciatica. The severity of your pain determines the prescription, which could be:

• Epidural Steroid Injections: Steroids, which reduce inflammation, can help ease your sciatic pain. With an epidural steroid injection, you get a corticosteroid medicine injected near the spinal nerve roots. These injections can reduce pain for months and sometimes longer. However, epidural steroid injections aren't effective for all patients.

• Over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs): These will help reduce swelling while relieving your pain. If an over-the-counter NSAID is an option for you, you and your doctor have plenty to choose from. You can use acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Aleve).
• Prescription Medications: If you have chronic sciatica, you may need a muscle relaxant to help ease muscle spasms. As surprising as it may seem, anti-depressants can be effective drugs for treating pain because they may help block pain messages on their way to the brain. They can also help increase your body's production of endorphins, a natural pain killer.

As with any treatment, including medications, you must follow your doctor's advice precisely. Never mix over-the-counter and prescribed drugs without consulting your doctor.