Chp 10 Analgesic Drugs Flashcards
Analgesics
medications that relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness (painkillers)
Opioid analgesics
synthetic drugs that bind to opiate receptors to relieve pain
Adjuvant analgesic drugs
drugs that are added for combined therapy with a primary drug and may have additive or independent analgesic properties, or both.
Pain
an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
Opioids
a class of synthetic drugs used to treat pain that bind to the opiate receptors (often interchangeable with the term narcotic).
Nociception
processing of pain signals in the brain that giv es rise to the feeling of pain
When do you know if a patient has pain and how bad it is?
Pain exists when the patient says it does and is whatever the patient says it is (a personal and individual experience)
Nociceptors
a subclass of sensory nerves (A and C fibers) that transmit pain signals to the central nervous system form other body parts.
What is the relationship between nociceptors and nociception?
Pain results from stimulation of sensory nerve fibers called nociceptors. These receptors transmit pain signals from various body regions to the spinal cord and brain, which leads to the sensation of pain, or nociception.
What are the four processes of nociception?
- Transduction
- Transmission
- Perception of Pain
- Modulation
What happens during transduction?
- Injured tissue releases chemicals that propagate pain message.
- Action potential moves along an afferent fiber to the spinal cord.
What happens during Transmission?
- The pain impulse moves from the spinal cord to the brain
What happens during modulation?
- Neurons from brain stem release neurotransmitters that block the pain impulse
Pain threshold
the level of a stimulus that results in the sensation of pain (a measure of the physiologic response of the nervous system.)
Pain tolerance
the amount of pain a patient can endure without it interfering with normal function (the psychologic element,or subjective response, of pain.)
What circumstances can cause ones pain tolerance to vary from another person?
attitude
environment
culture
ethnicity
Acute pain
pain that is sudden in onset, usually subsides when treated, and typically occurs over less than a 6-week period
Chronic pain
persistent or 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.
Somatic pain
pain that originates form skeletal muscles, ligaments, or joints.
Visceral pain
pain that originates from organs or smooth muscles
Superficial pain
pain that originates from the skin or mucous membranes; opposite of deep pain
Deep pain
pain that occurs in tissues below skin level; opposite of superficial pain.
Vascular pain
pain that results from pathology of the vascular or perivascular tissues
Referred pain
pain occurring in an area away from the organ of origin
Neuropathic pain
pain that results from a disturbance of function in a nerve
Phantom pain
pain experienced in the area of a body part that has been surgically or traumatically removed.
Cancer pain
pain resulting form any of a variety of causes related to cancer and/or the metastasis of cancer
Central pain
pain resulting from any disorder that causes central nervous system damage
Gate Theory
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.
During pain transmission what are several substances released when tissue is injured?
Bradykinin Histamine Potassium Prostaglandins Serotonin