A patient with acute pancreatitis is concerned about becoming addicted to the morphine prescribed for pain management. What response by the nurse is appropriate?
1. "You must only take the medication when the pain is intolerable."
2. "You may want to consider Demerol to manage your pain because it is less strong."
3. "Addiction during this period of acute pain is not likely."
4. "Addiction is a very real concern and should be considered when requesting medication."
3
Rationale 1: Waiting until the patient is unable to tolerate any additional pain would be inefficient in managing this disorder. Once the acute period of pain has passed, the patient may be managed with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
Rationale 2: Demerol is not currently recommended as highly as morphine in the management of pancreatitis. There is better pain control with morphine.
Rationale 3: The use of narcotic analgesics during periods of acute pain is unlikely to result in addiction. Prompt pain management is a key to care of this disorder.
Rationale 4: During times of intense pain, there is little to no risk of addiction as the medications block the pain receptors in the brain.
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