Pharm 251 - Quiz #2 - Final Flashcards
Define analgesic.
Medications that relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness. Also known as “Painkillers”.
What are some key characteristics to be aware of regarding pain?
- An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
- A personal and individual experience
- Whatever the patient says it is
- Exists when the patient says it exists
Define acute pain.
Pain that is sudden in onset, usually subsides when treated, and typically occurs over less than a 6-week period.
Define addiction.
Strong psychological or physical dependence on a drug or other psychoactive substance, usually resulting from habitual use, that is beyond normal voluntary control.
Define adjuvant analgesic drugs.
Drugs that are added for combined therapy with a primary drug and may have additive or independent analgesic properties, or both.
Define agonist-antagonist substances.
Substances that bind to a receptor and cause a partial response that is not as strong as that caused by agonists (also known as partial agonists).
Define analgesic ceiling effect.
The effect that occurs when a particular pain drug no longer effectively controls a patient’s pain despite the administration of the highest safe dosages.
What is the pain called that occurs between doses of pain medications?
Breakthrough pain
What is involved with central pain?
Pain resulting from any disorder that causes central nervous system damage.
What is the 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.
Pain that results from a disturbance of function or pathological change in a nerve.
Neuropathic 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.
Nociceptive pain
What are two subtypes of nociceptive pain?
- visceral pain
- somatic pain
A large, chemically diverse group of drugs that possess analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activity, but are not corticosteroids.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)
Synthetic drugs that bind to opiate receptors to relieve pain.
Opioid analgesics
What does it mean to be opioid naive?
A description of 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.
What does it mean to be opioid tolerant?
The opposite of opioid naive; a description of 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.
What is opioid withdrawal?
The signs and symptoms associated with abstinence from, withdrawal of, or dose reduction of an opioid analgesic when the body has become physically dependent on the substance.
Define pain.
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
The level of stimulus that results in the sensation of pain.
pain threshold
The amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal function.
pain tolerance
Define 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).
Pain experienced in an area of the body part that has been surgically or traumatically removed.
phantom pain
What is 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).
Pain occurring in an area away from the organ of origin.
referred pain
A progressively decreased responsiveness to a drug, resulting in a need for a larger dose of the drug to achieve the effect originally obtained by a smaller dose.
Tolerance
Pain that results from pathology of the vascular or perivascular tissues.
vascular pain
Pain that originates from internal organs or smooth muscles.
Visceral pain
What kinds of things can lower pain tolerance?
- anger
- anxiety
- depression
- discomfort
- fear
- isolation
- persistent pain
- sleeplessness
- tiredness
What kinds of things can increase pain tolerance?
- Diversion
- empathy
- rest
- sympathy
- medications (analgesics, antianxiety drugs, antidepressants)
What are some ethnocultural implications regarding pain?
- Pain is experienced by individuals, not by a culture
- There are both environmental and ethnocultural variations in the pain experience
- Recognize the effect of social determinants of health on pain experience, pain expression, and treatment access
- Pain behaviour and report best understood in the context of social interactions
- Be aware of communication about cultural and religious variation
- Remain aware of ethnocultural influences on health related behaviours
What does pain result from physiologically?
- Pain results from stimulation of sensory nerve fibres called nociceptors.
- These receptors transmit pain signals from various body regions to the spinal cord and brain.
What are some important characteristics to be aware of related to pain tolerance?
- Varies from person to person
- Subjective response to pain, not a physiological function
- Varies by attitude, personality, environment, culture, ethnicity
List the five distinct processes of nociceptive pain.
- Transduction
- Conduction
- Transmission
- Perception
- Modulation
What are the three receptors believed to be involved in pain?
- Mu receptors (in the dorsal horn of the spinal card; appear to plat the most crucial role)
- Kappa receptors
- Delta receptors
When the number of receptors is high, is pain sensitivity augmented or diminished?
Sensitivity is diminished.
What is involved in pain transduction?
- Transformation of stimuli into electrochemical energy
- Release of pain-medicating chemicals
- Nociceptors
During pain transduction, what is released when there is tissue injury and what do they do (generally)?
- Bradykinin
- Histamine
- Potassium
- Prostaglandins
- Serotonin
- Substance P
Generally, they stimulate nerve endings, starting the pain process
Where is the point of spinal cord entry for nerve impulses related to pain?
Dorsal horn
What are the two types of nociceptor pain fibers?
- Large-diameter, A-delta fibres, and
- small-diameter C fibres
What are some important characteristics to remember regarding pain perception?
- Subjective phenomenon of pain
- Identical stimulus can evoke different pain from one individual to another
- “How it is felt”
- Complex behavioural, psychological, and emotional factors
- The number of mu receptors in the dorsal horn appear to play a crucial role in pain perception and emotional well-being
- The larger the number of mu receptors , the less pain is perceived
What is involved in pain modulation?
- Neural activity that controls pain transmission to neurons
- Both peripheral and central nervous systems
- Descending pain system
- Enkephalins and endorphins (released to fight pain and are the bodies pain killers)
What is the term ‘endorphin’ short for?
endogenous morphine
Why does massaging an area often reduce the pain?
Relates to the gate theory. Massaing an area causes large sensory A nerve fibres to inhibit impulse transmission and therefore, causes the gate to close.
What is patient-controlled analgesia?
IV route; commonly used in hospital setting; patient able to self-medicate by pressing a button on a PCA infusion pump; shown to be effective and reduce total opioid dose used; morphine sulphate and fentanyl are commonly given by PCA.
What are two adjuvant drugs that are used for neuropathic pain?
- Amitriptyline (antidepressant)
- Gabapentin or pregabalin (anticonvulsants)
What do adjuvant drugs do?
They assist the primary drugs in relieving pain. Adjuvant drug therapy may include NSAIDs, antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and corticosteroids.
What is allodynia?
Hypersensitivity or hyperalgesia to mild stimuli such as light touch or a pinprick, or the bed sheet’s on a person’s foot.
What are the three steps of the WHO Three-step analgesic ladder?
Step 1: Nonopioids with or without adjuvant medications after the pain has been identified and assessed. If pain persists or increases, treatment moves to:
Step 2: Opioids with or without nonopioids and with or without adjuvants. If pain persists or increases, management then rises to:
Step 3: Opioids indicated for moderate to severe pain, administered with or without nonopioids or adjuvant medications
What are opioid drugs?
Synthetic drugs that bind to the opiate receptors to relieve pain.
What are the two classifications of opioid drugs and examples of each?
- Mild agonists: codeine, hydrocodone
- Strong agonists: morphine, hydromorphone hydrochloride, oxycodone, meperidine, fentanyl, methadone
Why is meperidine not recommended for long-term use?
Because of the accumulation of a neurotoxic metabolite, normeperidine, which can cause seizures. Can cause delirium in older adults, and serotonin syndrome.
What is an opioid ceiling effect?
Drug reaches a maximum analgesic effect. Analgesia does not improve, even with higher doses.
- Codeine phosphate
- Pentazocine
- Nalbuphine
What are the three classifications of opioid analgesics?
- Agonists (Bind to an opioid pain receptor in the brain and cause an analgesic response)
- Agonists–antagonists (Bind to a pain receptor and cause a weaker pain response than full agonists)
- Antagonists (nonanalgesic)(Reverse the effects of these drugs on pain receptors; bind to a pain receptor and exert no response)
What are the Indications for opioid analgesics?
- Mainly used to alleviate moderate to severe pain
- Often first line agents analgesic in immediate post operative setting
- Often given with adjuvant analgesic drugs to assist primary drugs with pain relief
- Balanced anaesthesia
- Opioids are also used for:
- Cough centre suppression
- Treatment of diarrhea
What are the contraindications for opioid analgesics?
- Known drug allergy
- Severe asthma
- Use with extreme caution in patients with the following:
- Respiratory insufficiency
- Elevated intracranial pressure
- Morbid obesity or sleep apnea
- Paralytic ileus
- Pregnancy
What are the adverse effects of opioid analgesics?
- Central nervous system (CNS) depression
- Leads to respiratory depression (Most serious adverse effect)
- Nausea, vomiting, constipation, biliary tract spasm
- Urinary retention
- Hypotension, palpitations, flushing
- Itching, rash, wheal formation
- Pinpoint pupils indicating a possible overdose
What do biological response-modifying drugs do?
Alter the body’s response to diseases such as cancer and autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases
What are two types of BRM drugs?
- Hematopoietic drugs
- Immunomodulating drugs
What are the four categories of immunomodulating drugs?
- Interferons (IFNs)
- Monoclonal antibodies (MABs)
- Interleukin (IL) receptor agonists and antagonists
- Miscellaneous drugs
What are the main functions of immunomodulating drugs?
- Medications that therapeutically alter a patient’s immune response to malignant tumour cells
- Drugs that modify the body’s own immune response so that it can destroy various viruses and cancerous cells
What are the four possible components of cancer therapy?
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Immunomodulating drugs
What other diseases is immunomodulating drugs used for?
- Autoimmune disease
- Inflammatory disease
- Infectious disease
What are the mechanisms of action for biological response-modifying drugs?
- Enhancement of hematopoietic function
- Enhancement or regulation of the host’s immune system defenses against the tumour
- Inhibition of metastases, prevention of cell division, or inhibition of cell maturation
Which component of the immune system is Mediated by B-cell functions (antibodies)?
Humoral immunity
Which component of the immune system is mediated by T-cell functions?
cell-mediated immunity
Define adjuvant.
A nonspecific immunostimulant that enhances overall immune function rather than stimulating the function of a specific immune system cell or cytokine through specific chemical reactions.
Define antibodies.
Immunoglobulins produced by lymphocytes in response to bacteria, viruses, or other antigenic substances.
Define antigen.
Substances that are capable of inducing specific immune responses and reacting with the specific products of those responses, such as antibodies and specifically sensitized T lymphocytes. Antigens can be soluble (e.g., a foreign protein) or particulate or insoluble (e.g., a bacterial cell).
Define autoimmune disorder.
A disorder that occurs when the body’s tissues are attacked by its own immune system.
Define B lymphocytes (B cells).
Leukocytes of the humoral immune system that develop into plasma cells and then produce the antibodies that bind to and inactivate antigens. B cells are one of the two principal types of lymphocytes; T lymphocytes are the other.
Define biological response-modifying drugs (BRMs).
A broad class of drugs that includes hematopoietic drugs and immunomodulating drugs; often referred to as biological response modifiers, they alter the body’s response to diseases such as cancer as well as autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Examples are cytokines (e.g., interleukin, interferons), monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines. They are also called biomodulators or immunomodulating drugs. Biological response–modifying drugs may be adjuvants, immunostimulants, or immunosuppressants.
Define cell-mediated immunity.
One of two major parts of the immune system. CMI consists of nonspecific immune responses mediated primarily by T lymphocytes (T cells) and other immune system cells (e.g., monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils) but not antibody-producing cells (B lymphocytes).
Define colony-stimulating factors.
Cytokines that regulate the growth, differentiation, and function of bone marrow stem cells.
What are cytokines?
Nonantibody proteins released by specific cell populations (e.g., activated T cells) on contact with antigens. Cytokines act as intercellular mediators of an immune response.
What is a cytotoxic T-cell?
Differentiated T cells that can recognize and lyse (rupture) target cells that bear foreign antigens on their surfaces; also called natural killer cells. These antigens are recognized by the corresponding antigen receptors that are expressed (displayed) on the cytotoxic T cell surface.
What is the process of differentiation?
An important part of normal cellular growth in which immature cells mature into specialized cells.
What are DMARDs?
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Medications used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases that have the potential to arrest or slow the actual disease process instead of providing only anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
What is hematopoiesis?
All of the body’s processes originating in the bone marrow that result in the formation of various types of blood components (adjective: hematopoietic); includes the three main processes of differentiation (see earlier): erythropoiesis (formation of red blood cells, or erythrocytes), leukopoiesis (formation of white blood cells, or leukocytes), and thrombopoiesis (formation of platelets, or thrombocytes).
What is humoral immunity?
All immune responses mediated by B cells, which ultimately work through the production of antibodies against specific antigens; humoral immunity acts in collaboration with cell-mediated immunity.
What are immunoglobins?
Proteins belonging to any of five structurally and antigenically distinct classes of antibodies present in the serum and external secretions of the body.
What is an immunostimulant?
A drug that enhances immune response through specific and nonspecific chemical interactions with particular immune system components; an example is interleukin-2.
What is an immunosupressant?
Drugs that decrease or prevent an immune response.
What are interferons?
One type of cytokine that promotes resistance to viral infections in uninfected cells and can also strengthen the body’s immune response to cancer cells.
What are leukocytes?
All subtypes of white blood cells; leukocytes include granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils), monocytes, and lymphocytes (B cells and T cells); some monocytes also develop into tissue macrophages.
What are lymphokine-activated killer cells? (LAK cells)
Cytotoxic T cells that have been activated by interleukin-2 and therefore have a stronger and more specific response against cancer cells than other cytotoxic T cells.
What are lymphokines?
Cytokines that are produced by sensitized T lymphocytes on contact with antigen particles.
What is a memory cell?
Cells involved in the humoral immune system that remember the exact characteristics of a particular foreign invader or antigen for the purpose of an expediting immune response in the event of future exposure to this antigen.
What is monoclonal?
A group of identical cells or organisms derived from a single cell.
What are plasma cells?
Cells derived from B cells found in the bone marrow, connective tissue, and blood. They produce antibodies.
What is rheumatism?
Any of several disorders characterized by inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement of connective tissue structures, especially joints and related structures.
What are T-helper cells?
Cells that promote and direct the actions of other cells of the immune system.
What are T-lymphocytes (T-cells)?
Leukocytes of the cell-mediated immune system; unlike B cells, they are not involved in the production of antibodies but instead occur in various cell subtypes (e.g., T helper cells, T suppressor cells, and cytotoxic T cells); they act through direct cell-to-cell contact or through production of cytokines that guide the functions of other immune system components (e.g., B cells, antibodies).
What are T-suppressor cells?
Cells that regulate and limit the immune response, balancing the effects of T helper cells.
What are tumour antigens?
Chemical compounds expressed on the surfaces of tumour cells. They signal to the immune system that these cells do not belong in the body, labelling the tumour cells as foreign.
What is the ratio of T-helper: T-suppressor?
2:1
What are the five major types of naturally occurring immunoglobins?
M (primary antibody produced after contact with antigen)
A (found in saliva, breast milk, and colostrum, secr. in GI and resp)
D (may be involved in parasitic infections)
G (main antibody - long-lasting memory)
E (mediates allergic reactions)
What are the 3 types of T-cells?
- Cytotoxic T cells
- T-helper cells
- T-suppressor cells