Your patient is 12-hours post ORIF right ankle. The patient is asking for pain medication

Question

The pain-medication orders are written as a combination of a narcotic analgesic and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) given together. What is the rationale for administering pain medication in this manner?
A) To prevent respiratory depression from the narcotic
B) To eliminate the need for additional medication during the night
C) To combine the medications more effectively and relieve the patient's pain with fewer narcotics
D) To eliminate toxic effects of the narcotic

Answer 1

Ans: C
Feedback: A regimen of a fixed-dose, periodically-dosed NSAID (eg, every 4 hours) and a separately administered fluctuating dose of opioid may be effective in managing moderate to severe cancer pain. In more severe pain, the opioid dose is also fixed with an additional fluctuating dose as needed for breakthrough pain (a sudden increase in pain despite the administration of pain-relieving medications). These regimens result in better pain relief with fewer opioid-related side effects. Use of the narcotic with the NSAID requires fewer narcotics to relieve the patient's pain. This method also reduces, but does not eliminate, the potential for toxic effects of the narcotic. This makes option A, B, and D incorrect.