Nursing considerations
The nurse knows that the goal of using adjuvant therapies for pain management is to do this.
What are the uses of fewer opioid analgesics?
A patient on a PCA with an opioid will monitor for this common GI side effect.
What is constipation and urinary retention?
This medication given for moderate to severe pain is considered an analgesic but follows opioid pathways can cause respiratory depression, hypotension, constipation and urinary retention.
What is tramadol?
A patient is prescribed an opioid and becomes oversedated; the nurse has this available to administer.
What is naloxone (Narcan)?
This drug class is used for muscle spasms and spasticity and can cause CNS depression, fatigue, weakness and confusion.
What are central acting skeletal muscle relaxants?
The nurse knows she will assess this before and after administering a medication for pain management.
What is a good pain assessment?
The facility the nurse is working for has an ALTO program, so the nurse would expect this kind of pain management strategy to be used before opioids.
What are alternative pain control methods?
This medication is given for muscle spasticity and can cause drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, hypotension and bradycardia.
What is baclofen?
A patient is in moderate pain and prescribed an opioid; the nurse would suspect this medication is prescribed.
What is tramadol?
This drug class is used for pain relief and sedation but can cause CNS depression, respiratory depression and orthostatic hypotension.
What are opioid agonists?
The nurse is teaching a patient about their morphine prescription at discharge. This is one key point the nurse will include in the teaching of any opioid agonist.
What is teach about dependence and addiction risk?
A patient presents to the ED with CNS depression, confusion, fatigue, and weakness after an anesthetic treatment, the nurse would expect the patient was given this kind of muscle relaxants.
What are direct acting muscle relaxants (botulinum toxins)?
This medication is given for neuropathic pain and seizures and can cause confusion, drowsiness, depression and suicidal ideation.
What is gabapentin?
A patient in severe pain is prescribed an opioid, the nurse would suspect this drug.
What is morphine?
This drug class works directly on nerves or interferes with calcium transport to treat migraines, spasticity and in cosmetics.
What are direct-acting skeletal muscle relaxants?
The nurse knows she needs this when programming or changing a PCA pump.
What is a second RN?
After administering Narcan to a patient with an overdose, the nurse will monitor for these vitals.
What are heart rate and BP?
This medication given for moderate and severe pain can cause respiratory depression, hypotension, constipation and urinary retention.
What is morphine?
A patient prescribed an opioid for migraine headaches is hesitant to use opioids due to a past addiction. The nurse might recommend this medication as an alternative to the doctor.
What is Sumatriptan?
this medication is given for opioid overdose and can cause tachycardia, and agitation.
What is naloxone?
When administering an analgesic, the nurse would avoid giving this kind of medication.
What are CNS depressants?
A patient has been taking Baclofen and cannot afford to continue picking up their prescription. The nurse would advise this patient to not do this.
What is don't stop abruptly?
This medication given for migraine headaches can cause burning and tingling, blood pressure changes, vertigo and crystalluria.
What is sumatriptan?
The nurse finds a patient on a PCA pump who is unable to wake and provides Narcan to the patient. While in the room, the nurse will also do this to avoid oversedation.
What is turn off the PCA pump?
These medications are considered opioid agonists.
What are tramadol and morphine?