Comfort: Medications & CAM

Flashcards covering essential vocabulary and definitions related to medications and their nursing implications.

Prototype Method

A learning method for drugs where learners pick a model drug from each class to simplify pharmacology, identify patterns in drug actions, and improve clinical judgment.

Acetaminophen

A non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic that inhibits prostaglandin synthesis in the CNS and is used for mild to moderate pain and fever.

NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis and are used for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Ceiling Effect

A phenomenon where increasing the dosage of a drug does not increase its effect after a certain point.

Opioid Analgesics

Medications classified by receptor activity which can cause respiratory depression and have a potential for abuse.

Pasero Opioid Sedation Scale

A scale used to assess sedation levels in patients using opioids, ranging from awake and alert to somnolent.

Naloxone

An opioid antagonist used to reverse opioid overdose or respiratory depression by competing with opioids at receptor sites.

Amitriptyline

An adjuvant analgesic that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine for neuropathic pain and depression.

Gabapentin

An anticonvulsant used for neuropathic pain and seizures that modulates calcium channels.

Baclofen

A skeletal muscle relaxant that acts on the spinal cord to inhibit reflexes and is used for muscle spasticity.

Lidocaine

A local anesthetic that blocks sodium channels to prevent nerve impulse transmission for localized pain.

Prednisone

A corticosteroid that suppresses inflammation and immune response for various inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.