CHAPTER 10: ANALGESIC DRUGS

Question 1

acute pain

Answer 1

pain that is sudden in onset, usually subsides when treated, and typically occurs over less than 6-week period

Question 2

addiction

Answer 2

a chronic, neurobiology disease whose development is influenced by genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors

Question 3

adjuvant analgesic drugs

Answer 3

drugs that are added for combined therapy with a primary drug and may have additive or independent angelic properties or both

Question 4

agonist

Answer 4

a substance that binds to a receptor and causes a response

Question 5

agonists-antagonists

Answer 5

substances that bind to a receptor and cause a partial response that is not as strong as that caused by an agonist

Question 6

analgesic ceiling effect

Answer 6

what occurs when a given pain drug no longer effectively controls a patient’s pain despite the administration of the highest safe dosages

Question 7

analgesics

Answer 7

medications that relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness (painkillers)

Question 8

antagonists

Answer 8

a drug that binds to a receptor and prevents (blocks) a response

Question 9

breakthrough pain

Answer 9

pain that occurs between doses of pain medication

Question 10

cancer pain

Answer 10

pain resulting from any of a variety of causes related to cancer and/or the metastasis of cancer

Question 11

central pain

Answer 11

pain resulting from any disorder that causes central nervous system damage

Question 12

chronic pain

Answer 12

persistent or recurring pain that is difficult to treat. Includes any pain lasting longer than 3 to 6 months, pain lasting longer than 1 month after healing of an acute injury or pain that accompanies a non healing tissue injury

Question 13

deep pain

Answer 13

pain that occurs in tissues below skin level; opposite of superficial pain

Question 14

gate theory

Answer 14

the most well-described theory of pain transmission and pain relief. It uses a gate model to explain how impulses from damaged tissues are sensed in the brain

Question 15

narcotics

Answer 15

a legal term established under the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914. It originally applied to drugs that produce insensibility or stupor, esp the opioids (morphine, heroine). Currently used to refer to any medically used controlled substances and in legal settings to refer to any illicit or “street drug”

Question 16

neuropathic pain

Answer 16

pain that results from a disturbance of function or pathologic change in a nerve

Question 17

nociception

Answer 17

processing of pain signals in the brain that gives rise to the feeling of pain

Question 18

nociceptors

Answer 18

a subclass of sensory nerves (A or C fibers) that transmit pain signals to the CNS from other body parts

Question 19

nonopiods analgesics

Answer 19

analgesics that are not classified as opioids

Question 20

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Answer 20

a large, chemically diverse group of drugs that are analgesics and also possess anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activity but are not corticosteroids

Question 21

opioid analgesics

Answer 21

synthetic drugs that bind to opiate receptors to relieve pain

Question 22

opioid naive

Answer 22

describes patients who are receiving opioid analgesics for the first time and who therefore are not accustomed to their effects

Question 23

opioid tolerance

Answer 23

a normal physiologic condition that results from long-term opioid use, in which larger doses of opioids are required to maintain the same level of analgesia and in which abrupt discontinuation of the drug results in withdrawal symptoms

Question 24

opioid tolerant

Answer 24

the opposite of opioid naive; describes patients who have been receiving opioid analgesics (legally to otherwise) for a period of time (1 week or longer) and who are at greater risk of opioid withdrawal syndrome upon sudden discontinuation

Question 25

opioid withdrawal

Answer 25

the signs and symptoms associated with abstinence from or withdrawal of an opioid analgesic when the body has become physically dependent on the substance

Question 26

pain

Answer 26

an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage

Question 27

pain threshold

Answer 27

the level of a stimulus that results in the sensation of pain

Question 28

pain tolerance

Answer 28

the amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal function

Question 29

partial agonist

Answer 29

a drug that binds to a receptor and causes a response that is less than that caused by a full agonist

Question 30

phantom pain

Answer 30

pain experienced in the area of a body part that has been surgically or traumatically removed

Question 31

physical dependence

Answer 31

a condition in which a patient takes a drug over a period of time and unpleasant physical symptoms (withdrawal symptoms) occur if the drug is stopped abruptly or smaller doses are given.t The physical adaptation of the body to the presence of an opioid or other addictive substance

Question 32

psychologic dependence

Answer 32

a pattern of compulsive use of opioids or any other addictive substance characterized by a continuous craving for the substance and the need to use it for effects other than pain relief (addiction)

Question 33

referred pain

Answer 33

pain occurring in an area away from the organ of origin

Question 34

somatic pain

Answer 34

pain that originates from skeletal muscles, ligaments or joints

Question 35

special pain situations

Answer 35

the general term for pain control situations that are complex and whose treatment typically involves multiple medications, various health care personnel and nonpharmacologic therapeutic modalities (massage, chiropractic care, surgery)

Question 36

superficial pain

Answer 36

pain that originates from the skin or mucous membranes

Question 37

synergistic effects

Answer 37

drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs with similar actions is greater than the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs given alone. 1+1 is greater than 2

Question 38

tolerance

Answer 38

the general term for a state in which repetitive exposure to a given drug, over time, induces changes in drug receptors that reduce the drug effects

Question 39

vascular pain

Answer 39

pain that results from pathology of the vascular or perivascular tissues

Question 40

visceral pain

Answer 40

pain that originates from organs or smooth muscles

Question 41

WHO

Answer 41

an international body of health care professionals, including clinicians and epidemiologists among many others, that studies and responds to health needs and trends worldwide