Opioids (sometimes called opiates) are medicines used to treat pain.
There are many different types of painkillers that are suitable for different types of pain. Most doctors will start off prescribing a lesser strength painkiller such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/treatment-medication/painkillers/strong-painkillers-opioids