What's the Halacha?

Q: May one take medication for pain when he is unsure if he has reached the point of choleh she'ain bo sakana due to choleh kol gufo (his entire body is ill) or nafal limishkav (bedridden)?

ANSWER: Yes, one may treat such pain or illness as if he is a choleh she'ain bo sakana. This is true for taking medicine, doing a melacha derabanan with a shinui and asking a non-Jew to do melacha to treat the illness.

(רפואה בשבת ויו“ט, התרים [חולה שאיב“ס], פרק ב‘, סימן ג‘, סעיף ד)