Narcotic Analgesic Agents

Front 1

acute pain

Back 1

pain that is sudden in onset and usually subsides when treated

Front 2

adjuvent agent

Back 2

a drug that is not a primary analgesic but has been shown to have independant or additive analgesic properties

Front 3

agonist

Back 3

a substance that binds to a receptor and causes a response

Front 4

agonist-antagonist

Back 4

a substance that binds to a receptor and causes that receptor to be stimulated and a response to occur while simultaneously binding to another receptor, occupying it but not stimulating it

Front 5

analgesics

Back 5

medications that relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness and sometimes referred to as painkillers

Front 6

antagonist

Back 6

an agent that binds to a receptor and prevents a response

Front 7

chronic pain

Back 7

persistent or recurring pain that is often very difficult to treat

Front 8

gate theory

Back 8

the most 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

Front 9

narcotic analgesics

Back 9

very strong and addicting pain relievers

Front 10

narcotic withdrawl (opiod abstinance syndrome)

Back 10

the signs and symptoms associated with the abstinence from or withrawl of opiod analgesics when the body has become physically dependant on the substance

Front 11

opiate and opiod analgesics

Back 11

narcotic pain relievers that contain opium, are derived from opium, or are chemically related to opium

Front 12

opioid tolerance

Back 12

a common physiological result of long-term opiod use in which larger doses of opiods are required to maintain the same levels of analgesia

Front 13

pain

Back 13

an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue dammage

Front 14

pain threshold

Back 14

the level of stimulus that results in the perception of pain

Front 15

pain tolerance

Back 15

the amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal function

Front 16

partial agonist

Back 16

a substance that binds to part of a receptor and causes effects similar to but less pronounced than those of a pure agononist

Front 17

physical dependence

Back 17

the physical adaptation of the body to the presence of an opiod or other addicting substance (i.e. barbiturates)

Front 18

psychologic dependence (addiction)

Back 18

a pattern of compulsive opiod use characterized by a continuous craving for the substance and the need to use it for effects other than pain relief

Front 19

somatic pain

Back 19

pain that originates from skeletal muscles, ligaments, or joints

Front 20

superficial pain

Back 20

pain that originates from the skin or mucous membranes

Front 21

visceral pain

Back 21

pain that originates from organs or smooth muscles