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Learn different terms for types of pain, common medicines, and potential side effects related to pain medicines.

Types of breakthrough pain

Breakthrough pain occurs when moderate-to-severe pain "breaks through" your around-the-clock opioid pain medicine. Episodes may last from a few minutes to an hour or more, and may occur several times a day, even when the proper dose of medicine is given to treat the all-day (persistent) pain.

Breakthrough pain can occur during everyday activities, such as getting out of bed, taking a walk, or coughing. It may occur without a specific cause or reason — your doctor may call this spontaneous breakthrough pain.

This chart may help you understand how breakthrough pain is often classified:

Event (predictable/ unpredictable)

This is breakthrough pain that occurs during a particular activity, like getting dressed in the morning or even breathing. It is important to remember that even when your breakthrough pain is predictable, you may not be able to foresee the timing of the onset or the severity of the pain.

Spontaneous

This type of breakthrough pain happens unexpectedly, like when you’re just sitting in a chair reading , and it can happen with no readily identifiable cause.

End-of-dose

This type of breakthrough pain may occur before taking a scheduled dose of around-the-clock pain medication.

Talk to your doctor about the types of breakthrough pain you experience so you can work together to determine the best treatment approach.