Opioids In Nursing Essay

Words: 591
Pages: 3

It has been an ongoing debate regarding the use, misuse, and abuse of pain medications. Acknowledging the pain experience and convey acceptance of client’s response to pain is one of the nursing interventions that we do to our clients because pain is felt by oneself and cannot be justified by others. Historically, the recognition of pain management has not been prioritized as on medical and surgical histories; the saving of lives have been emphasized rather than to relieve pain. It is on a blinded view that acute pain is seen as an alarming ethical issue when being linked with drug addiction.
Pain management is best utilized with opioids. Studies had shown that the drugs are commonly best given to patients who have terminal cases of illnesses such as cancer. Researchers and doctors viewed these drugs as commonly used for palliative care. The therapy has shown effectiveness as it reduces anxiety as well distress experienced by the patient. There have been also conflicting ethical issues brought by opioids used in palliative care. The practice has been seen as slow euthanasia or terminal sedation (Billings & Block, 1996) because it shortens the
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Manipulation of the opioid system plays a central part in modulating mood and well-being is highly believed to be modified by endogenous opioids that are used in drug abuse. The system is easily influenced and disrupted when there is drug craving brought by a relapse altering stress physiology. Contet, Kieffer, & Befort (2004) reviewed that on basic research, the Mu receptors when signaled and activated by several drugs of abuse, whether opioid or non-opioid, represents a potential target for therapeutics of