Central Nervous System Terminology Flashcards
Acute pain
Pain that is sudden in onset, usually subsides when treated, and typically occurs over less than a 6-week period. (p. 195)
Addiction
Strong psychological or physical dependence on a drug or other psychoactive substance, usually resulting from habitual use, that is beyond normal voluntary control. (p. 200)
Adjuvant analgesic drugs
Drugs that are added for combined therapy with a primary drug and may have additive or independent analgesic properties, or both. (p. 194)
Agonists
Substances that bind to a receptor and cause a response. (p. 201)
Agonist–antagonists
Substances that bind to a receptor and cause a partial response that is not as strong as that caused by agonists (also known as a partial agonists). (p. 202)
Analgesic ceiling effect
What occurs when a particular pain drug no longer effectively controls a patient’s pain despite the administration of the highest safe dosages. (p. 202)
Analgesics
Medications that relieve pain (sometimes referred to as painkillers). (p. 194)
Antagonists
Drugs that bind to a receptor and prevent (block) a response, resulting in inhibitory or antagonistic drug effects; also called inhibitors. (p. 203)
Breakthrough pain
Pain that occurs between doses of pain medication. (p. 201)
Cancer pain
Pain resulting from any of a variety of causes related to cancer or the metastasis of cancer. (p. 196)
Central pain
Pain resulting from any disorder that causes central nervous system damage. (p. 198)
Gate control theory
A common and 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. (p. 198)
Narcotics
A legal term established under the Narcotic Control Act in 1961. It originally applied to drugs that produce insensibility or stupor, especially the opioids (e.g., morphine sulphate, heroin). Currently used to refer to any medically used controlled substances and in legal settings to refer to any illicit or “street” drug.
Neuropathic pain
Nociceptive pain Pain that arises from mechanical, chemical, or thermal irritation of peripheral sensory nerves (e.g., after surgery or trauma or associated with degenerative processes). Two subtypes of nociceptive pain are visceral and somatic. (p. 195)
Nonopioid analgesics Analgesics that are structurally and functionally different from opioids. (p. 207)
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) A large, chemically diverse group of drugs that are analgesics and possess anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties but are not corticosteroids. (p. 218)
Opiate analgesics Synthetic drugs that bind to opiate receptors to relieve pain. (p. 202)
Opioid naive Describes patients who are receiving opioid analgesics for the first time or intermittently for a brief period of time and who therefore are not accustomed to their effects. (p. 206)
Opioid tolerant The opposite of opioid naive; describes patients who have been receiving opioid analgesics (legally or otherwise) for a period of time (1 week or longer) and who are at greater risk of opioid withdrawal syndrome upon sudden discontinuation. (p. 200)
Opioid withdrawal The signs and symptoms associated with abstinence from, withdrawal of or dose reduction an opioid analgesic when the body has become physically dependent on the substance. (p. 206)
Pain An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. (p. 194)
Pain threshold The level of stimulus that results in the sensation of pain. (p. 195)
Pain tolerance The amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal function. (p. 195)
Partial agonist A drug that binds to a receptor and causes a response that is less than that caused by a full agonist (same as agonist–antagonist). (p. 203)
Persistent pain Recurring pain that is often 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 nonhealing tissue injury. (Also referred to as chronic or long-term pain). (p. 195)
Phantom pain Pain experienced in an area of the body part that has been surgically or traumatically removed. (p. 196)
Physical dependence A condition in which a patient takes a drug over a period of time and in which unpleasant physical symptoms (withdrawal symptoms) occur if the drug is stopped abruptly or smaller doses are given. The physical adaptation of the body to the presence of an opioid or other addictive substance. (p. 206)
Psychological dependence 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 (also called addiction). (p. 200)
Referred pain Pain occurring in an area away from the organ of origin. (p. 196)
Somatic pain Pain that originates from skeletal muscles, ligaments, or joints.
Special pain situation The general term for pain control situations that are complex and whose treatment typically involves multiple medications, various health care personnel, and nonpharmacological therapeutic modalities (e.g., massage, chiropractic care, surgery).
Superficial pain Pain that originates from the skin or mucous membranes; opposite of deep pain.
Synergistic effects 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. For example, 1 + 1 is greater than 2. (p. 201)
Tolerance The general term for a progressively decreased responsiveness to a drug as a result of which a larger dose of the drug is needed to achieve the effect originally obtained by a smaller dose. (p. 196)
Vascular pain Pain that results from pathology of the vascular or perivascular tissues. (p. 196)
Visceral pain Pain that originates from internal organs or smooth muscles.
World Health Organization (WHO) An international body of health care providers, including clinicians and epidemiologists among many others, that studies and responds to health needs and trends worldwide. (p. 201)
(Lilley 193-194)
Lilley, Linda L., PhD, RN, Shelly Collins, PharmD, Julie Snyder, MSN, RN-BC and S. Pharmacology for Canadian Health Care Practice, 3rd Edition. Elsevier (HS-US), 08152016. VitalBook file.
The citation provided is a guideline. Please check each citation for accuracy before use.
Pain that results from a disturbance of function or pathologic change in a nerve. (p. 196)
Nociception
Processing of pain signals in the brain that gives rise to the feeling of pain. (p. 195)
