A patient has been on opioids for 3 months after receiving multiple injuries in a car accident. The patient now asks about the risk of withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are no longer needed. What is the nurse's most appropriate response?
a. "You were using the drugs for legitimate pain, so you will not have to go through withdrawal when you stop them."
b. "Ask your doctor for a sedative to get you through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms."
c. "As long as you taper the drug dose down slowly, you should not experience withdrawal symptoms."
d. "You would have to be on these drugs much longer than 3 months to have problems with withdrawal."
ANS: C
After 3 months of use, some withdrawal symptoms are likely; these can be minimized or eliminated by slowly tapering the dose. Sedatives are not usually necessary and may be addictive.
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