A patient has periodic severe nerve pain that is not well controlled with the current pain medication regimen. The nurse anticipates adding a medication from which category?
1. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)
2. Opioids
3. Antidepressants
4. Local anesthetics
3
Rationale 1: The NSAID group can have serious side effects, including bleeding tendencies, and would not be appropriate in a long-term situation.
Rationale 2: Other medications are prescribed before introducing opioids.
Rationale 3: Antidepressants within the tricyclic and related chemical groups act on the production and retention of serotonin in the CNS, thus inhibiting pain sensation. They also promote normal sleeping patterns, which further alleviates the suffering of the patient in pain. They are useful with neuropathic pain.
Rationale 4: A local anesthetic would not be appropriate for long-term pain management.
You might also like to view...
An ICU client who was in a motor vehicle accident 1 day ago is developing a worsening respiratory status
The nurse is aware that the client's chest has bruising on it from hitting the steering wheel, and the health care provider has diagnosed the client with lung contusions. As the client develops increased respiratory distress, the nurse recognizes that the only difference between acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is: 1. ARDS and ALI differ only in the amount of hypoxemia. 2. ARDS clients will have a lower respiratory rate than ALI clients. 3. ALI clients have fewer injuries than ARDS clients. 4. ALI clients have more inflammation than ARDS clients.
Balancing employment and family life creates a variety of challenges in terms of child care and household work for both parents. This has major implications in health care because
a. Maternal employment has been demonstrated to be harmful for children. b. Maternal employment has shifted the majority of household tasks to the male. c. Fathers now participate more fully in day-to-day parenting responsibilities. d. The number of single-parent families has decreased since 1970.
Which diastolic pressure should you report at once?
a. 100 b. 64 c. 70 d. 76
The nurse is reviewing the results for a client's analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. Which of the following would be considered an abnormal finding? (Select all that apply.)
1. Opening pressure 40 mmHg 2. Cloudy 3. Elevated red blood cell count 4. Elevated white blood cell count 5. Glucose level 60 mg/dL 6. pH 7.35