| Abstract: |
Drug therapy plays a major role in the management of acute and chronic pain. The effective use of analgesic drugs is a primary reponsbility for nurses, a responsibility that is carried out in part through an assessment of the type of pain the patient is experiencing, an understanding of the etiology of the pain, and an understanding of the clinical pharmacology of the drug prescribed. Analgesic drugs belong to three different categories based on their mode of action: (1) drugs that act on peripheral receptors: non-narcotic analgesics (such as acetaminophen) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); (2) drugs that activate opiate receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system (such as opiate agonists, mixed agonist-antagonists, and partial agonists); and (3) the adjuvant analgesic drugs that potentiate the opiates and produce analgesia in certain pain states through poorly understood mechanisms. Effective treatment of the patient in pain requires a thorough understanding of the principles of analgesic management so that an appropriate regimen can be tailored for each patient. Those principles are the subject of the following discussion. |
