A nurse is planning to administer medications to a client who has trigeminal neuralgia.
Which of the following medications should the nurse plan to administer to manage the client's pain?

Choice Arationale:

Using PCA does not necessarily increase the client’s risk of toxicity. PCA allows the client to self-administer preset doses of pain medication, which can lead to better pain control with less risk of overdose.

Choice B rationale:

Diarrhea is not a common adverse effect of morphine. Constipation, not diarrhea, is a common side effect due to slowed gastrointestinal motility.

Choice Crationale:

Checking the client’s pain level every 8 hours is not sufficient when using PCA. Pain levels should be assessed more frequently, ideally before and after each administration of the medication. This allows for timely adjustments to the medication regimen if needed.

Choice D rationale:

Instructing the client’s visitors not to operate the PCA pump is crucial. Only the patient should administer doses to prevent overdose.

Choice A rationale:

Increased temperature is not a direct indication of naloxone’s effectiveness. Naloxone works by reversing the effects of opioids, which do not typically include fever.

Choice B rationale:

While naloxone can cause an abrupt withdrawal in opioid-dependent individuals, leading to symptoms such as hypertension, it does not typically decrease blood pressure in opioid overdose cases.

Choice C rationale:

Naloxone works by reversing the life-threatening depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system caused by an opioid overdose. Therefore, an increased respiratory rate after administration would indicate that the medication is effective.

Choice D rationale:

Naloxone reverses the effects of opioids, including pain relief. Therefore, a report of decreased pain would not indicate that the medication is effective.