A patient who has a long-term addiction to opioids takes an overdose of barbiturates. The nurse preparing to care for this patient will anticipate:

Question

a. a severe abstinence syndrome when the effects of the barbiturates are reversed.
b. minimal respiratory depression, because the patient has developed a tolerance to opioids.
c. observing pinpoint pupils, respiratory de-pression, and possibly coma in this patient.
d. using naloxone [Narcan] to reverse the effects of the barbiturates, because cross-tolerance is likely.

Answer 1

C
Patients tolerant to opioids do not have cross-tolerance to barbiturates, so this patient will show signs of overdose such as pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression, and coma. Because there is no cross-tolerance, a patient addicted to opioids will not have an abstinence syndrome when the ef-fects of the barbiturates are reversed. Respiratory depression will be severe. Naloxone cannot be used to reverse the effects of the barbiturates.