Medicines that are usually used to treat other health conditions can also be used to relieve pancreatic cancer pain. Taking these drugs does not mean that you have the condition they are usually used to treat.
This may mean that the dose of opioids can be reduced. This can help if you have bad side effects from opioids.
It can take up to a week for some drugs to have an effect on your pain. Continue to take the drugs, even if you don’t feel a difference straight away.
“ I think people sometimes think they are on the highest dose they can be when they’re given something like morphine and that’s not always true. Often the pain can be due to other things and there are other things that can be done.”
Pregabalin and gabapentin are usually used to treat epilepsy, but can also be used to treat nerve pain. They are usually taken as tablets.
These drugs can cause side effects, such as feeling sick, dizziness, tiredness or a dry mouth. Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have any side effects.
Amitriptyline and duloxetine are usually used to treat depression, but can also be used to relieve nerve pain. You usually take these drugs as tablets or capsules. Amitriptyline also comes as a liquid.
If you get any side effects, tell your doctor or nurse. Amitriptyline can cause constipation, dry mouth, feeling dizzy, feeling tired, problems peeing or headaches. Common side effects of duloxetine include problems sleeping, headaches and feeling dizzy.
Steroids to help manage cancer pain include dexamethasone and prednisolone. They can help to manage severe pain that needs treating quickly while other pain relief takes effect.
Steroids can be used on their own, or with opioid painkillers. They are given as tablets which should be taken with food, or as a liquid or an injection.
It is important to take steroids exactly as they are prescribed by your doctor. Do not stop taking them without talking to your doctor.
Steroids should only be used for a short time, usually between two and four weeks. This is because they can cause side effects. These include weak legs, a puffy face, indigestion, changes in your mood, confusion, tummy pain or higher blood sugar levels.
Steroids can also damage the stomach lining, so if you are taking them for more than a few days you will usually be given a drug to protect your stomach. Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have side effects, or if you have diabetes.
If you have tummy pain, tell your doctor or nurse. They can check to see what is causing it.
Tummy pain may be caused by problems with digestion. This can be managed with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). This helps your body needs to break down and digest food properly. Most people with pancreatic cancer will need to take PERT.
If you have not been given PERT, speak to your doctor or nurse.
Antispasmodic medicines help relax muscles in your bowel, and can relieve tummy cramps and pain.
These drugs include hyoscine butylbromide (Buscopan®). This can be prescribed by your GP, or you can have it at the hospital.
Hyoscine butylbromide can cause side effects, such as a dry mouth or constipation.
Radiotherapy can help to control some types of pain. It is called palliative radiotherapy when it is used to treat symptoms in people with cancer that can’t be cured.
Palliative chemotherapy can slow down the growth of the cancer and may help to relieve symptoms, including pain.
Ketamine is used as an anaesthetic but in low doses it is an effective painkiller. It can be used with opioid painkillers if opioids are not relieving all your pain.
Ketamine is given in low doses, usually as a liquid or by syringe pump. The dose can be gradually increased if needed.
We need more research about ketamine and pain. It isn’t used regularly, and should only be used by doctors who have experience using it.
Ketamine can cause side effects, including sensing things that aren’t there (hallucinations), blurred vision or dizziness. These side effects will be closely monitored by your medical team. Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have any side effects.
Some people worry about becoming addicted to ketamine, but this won’t happen if you take it as prescribed
Medicines or products containing cannabis can’t be prescribed by the NHS for cancer pain. This is because there isn’t enough evidence to show it works.
Specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis-based products for some specific conditions if there is clear evidence to show it is helpful. But it is not available for pancreatic cancer.
Some products containing cannabis are available online or in shops, such as cannabidiol (CBD) or hemp oil. These may make lots of claims. They tend to have only small amounts of CBD, could be poor quality, and may also be illegal. Cannabis that is smoked, or ‘street cannabis’, is illegal and could be dangerous.
It’s very important that you tell your doctor if you are using cannabis products. They may affect other medicines you are prescribed including your chemotherapy.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses pulses of small electrical currents to temporarily block the nerves from sending pain messages to the brain. They may also help the body to make its own natural painkillers, called endorphins. This can give short term pain relief.
Sticky pads, attached to a small battery powered machine, are put onto your skin around the painful area. The pads give out pulses of small electrical currents. This can feel tingly, like pins and needles.
We need more research to show how well TENS machines work for people with cancer pain. But they are easy to use and rarely cause any side effects.
Someone using a TENS machine
Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about your pain relief.
You can also speak to our specialist nurses on our free Support Line.
Updated April 2025
To be reviewed April 2028
