Medication Therapy for Pain

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to medication therapy for pain, including definitions of pain, its management, and relevant pharmacological terms.

Pain

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

Addiction

A chronic condition characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain.

Thermoregulation

The process by which the body maintains its temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is different.

Inflammation

The body's response to injury or infection, characterized by redness, heat, swelling, and pain.

Analgesics

Medications that relieve pain without causing a loss of consciousness.

Pain Threshold

The minimum intensity of a stimulus that is perceived as pain.

Pain Tolerance

The maximum level of pain that a person is able to tolerate.

Acetaminophen

A non-opioid analgesic that blocks pain impulses by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis.

Feverfew

An herbal remedy used for its anti-inflammatory properties, specifically in treating migraine headaches and menstrual cramps.

Opioids

A class of drugs that include both prescription medications and illegal drugs derived from the opium poppy, used for pain relief.

Opioid Agonists

Drugs that activate opioid receptors in the brain to relieve pain.

Opioid Antagonists

Medications that block opioid receptors and can reverse the effects of opioids.

Opioid Tolerance

A condition where a person requires larger doses of opioids to achieve the same pain relief.

Opioid Withdrawal

A set of symptoms that occur when an opioid-dependent individual abruptly stops taking opioids.

Skeletal Muscle Relaxants

Drugs that relieve muscle spasms by depressing the central nervous system.

NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve pain and reduce inflammation without the use of corticosteroids.

Cyclooxygenase (COX) Inhibitors

An enzyme responsible for the formation of prostanoids, including prostaglandins, which are involved in inflammation and pain.

Celecoxib (Celebrex)

A COX-2 inhibitor used to treat pain and inflammation without affecting COX-1 and thereby reducing gastrointestinal side effects.

Ibuprofen

A common NSAID that reduces pain and inflammation by inhibiting COX-1 and COX-2.