Defining Acute Pain: Acute pain can be defined as rapidly developing, reaching peak intensity, and subsiding quickly.
Chronic Pain as a Persistent Condition: In contrast to acute pain, chronic pain persists after the acute pain has passed and may be better seen as a sickness (Cohen et al., 2021).
Breakthrough Pain in Opioid-Treated Individuals: Breakthrough pain is an acute, temporary pain that flares above average and has been used to describe a specific type of pain experienced by opioid-treated individuals (Driver, 2007).
Classifying Pain: Nociceptive, neuropathic, and central sensitization are the three main classifications of pain. For example, skin, muscles, or other soft tissue injuries can result in agonizing or throbbing pain, known as nociceptive pain (Pergolizzi et al., 2017). Nerve damage or injury causes neuropathic pain, where burning pain and tactile sensitivity are common, whereas central sensitization is responsiveness to non-painful stimuli (Pergolizzi et al., 2017).
Goals of Pain Management: Reducing pain, improving physical function, and using medication effectively are among the potential goals of pain management.
Assessing Pain: It is essential to ask patients to characterize their pain in terms of its location, radiation, manner of onset, nature, influence on activities, duration, and aggravating or relieving variables.
Opioids in Pain Management: Regarding pharmacodynamics, opioids attach to opioid receptors in the brain and body, blocking pain signals. In terms of pharmacokinetics, the rapid reaction and action of opioids are made possible by the molecule’s high lipophilicity, which allows it to pass the blood-brain boundary rapidly (Noble & Marie, 2019). Although I believe they are beneficial, they must be integrated with extreme care to avoid overdosing and addiction.
Multimodal Pain Management: Multimodal pain management or analgesia entails employing more than one pharmacological kind of analgesic medicine to lessen the stipulation for opioids (Summers et al., 2020). Combination treatments can include, for instance, local anesthetics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and alpha-2 agonists.
Addressing Breakthrough Pain: During physical exercise, for instance, a patient with arthritic conditions has reported experiencing breakthrough pain. To alleviate the pain, I would prescribe a short-acting opioid, such as fentanyl, at a 5–20% lower dosage than the patient would take for chronic pain.
Managing Long-Term Opioid Use: Opioid tolerance and dosage escalation are common side effects of long-term opioid medication, which are also linked to an increased risk of overdose and death (Karmali et al., 2019). The need for a more significant dose in the patient requirements may increase the associated dangers. That is why it is crucial to discuss an opioid management plan before starting therapy and keep the initial plan while the patient is receiving treatment.
References
Cohen, S. P., Vase, L., & Hooten, W. M. (2021). Chronic pain: An update on burden, best practices, and new advances. The Lancet, 397(10289), 2082–2097. Web.
Driver, L. C. (2007). Case studies in breakthrough pain. Pain Medicine, 8(1), 14–18. Web.
Karmali, R. N., Bush, C., Raman, S. R., Campbell, C. I., Skinner, A. C., & Roberts, A. W. (2019). Long-term opioid therapy definitions and predictors: A systematic review. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 29(3), 252–269. Web.
Noble, F., & Marie, N. (2019). Management of opioid addiction with opioid substitution treatments: Beyond methadone and buprenorphine. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9. Web.
Pergolizzi, J. V., LeQuang, J. A., Berger, G. K., & Raffa, R. B. (2017). The basic pharmacology of opioids informs the opioid discourse about misuse and abuse: A review. Pain and Therapy, 6(1), 1–16. Web.
Summers, S., Mohile, N., McNamara, C., Osman, B., Gebhard, R., & Hernandez, V. H. (2020). Analgesia in total knee arthroplasty. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 102(8), 719–727. Web.