14.4: Chapter Summary
This chapter covered what pain is, how the brain perceives it, and how medications are commonly used to treat it. Because the nature of pain is subjective, different ways to assess a client’s pain were explained. The concept of the pain threshold and factors that can affect it were described.
Drug classes covered in this chapter include the nonopioid analgesics, opioid agonists, and opioid antagonists. Common nonopioid analgesics include many over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and NSAIDs as well as tramadol. Potential serious adverse effects of opioid agonists and the risk for tolerance and addiction were explained as well as the potential for opioid antagonists to induce opioid withdrawal.