Anti-inflammatory and Analgesics 4 (Drug Abuse)
In the contemporary medical world, abuse of the prescription drugs is equally common as the abuse of other harmful drugs and substances. The commonly abused prescription drugs are the painkillers especially the opiates such as morphine and Percocet. Reflecting this current situation of prescription drug abuse is a case study involving Jonathan, a 56-year-old individual, who presents with classic features of analgesic abuse. In essence, this paper aims at scrutinizing this case scenario to its practical details for the gaining of further insights about this issue.
Signs of Drug Abuse
Primarily, Jonathan is a victim of prescription drug abuse since his depiction in the case scenario points to this conclusion. Such is the case given that he presents with certain clinical features that are suggestive of prescription drug abuse. For instance, his insistence for prescription with a particular pharmacologic agent (Percocet), which is addictive in nature, is indicative of Jonathan’s addictive nature to this drug. That is for sure because addicted persons are more likely to have lame excuses for the continual use of medications despite recovering from an illness (Kaye, & Urman, 2011).
Notwithstanding, Rice, (2017) is of the opinion that individuals that appear unkempt, diaphoretic and in clothes, which are untidy are most likely drug addicts that have no time for maintenance of personal hygiene. Without a doubt, Jonathan’s appearance (diaphoretic, unshaved, his clothes are a bit wrinkled) are befitting of the characteristics of persons abusing drugs. As such, this is proof enough to conclude that Jonathan has been abusing prescription drugs for a while.
Nurse Practitioner’s Interventions to Prescription Drugs Abuse
As a nurse practitioner, one must have a plan in place for dealing with such patients that keep on returning for prescription drugs, which they have developed dependence and addiction. Central to this plan are several elements that are worth noting. A case in point of such components of in the management plan of Jonathan is education. Education is of the essence since it enables the affected person to come to terms that with the fact he/she has the problem of prescription medication abuse, which needs a quick address (Estren, & Potter, 2013). Based on this acceptance, the nurse practitioner has a foundation for laying other subsequent interventions that are solely dependent on self-acknowledgement of having a deficiency.
The next strategy in the management of Jonathan entails a comprehensive assessment of his drug abuse tendencies. In this step, the nurse screens for the quantity, frequency, and method for the abuse of the medications. At the heart of this measure are tools such as CAGE (Cut down, Anger, Guilt, and Eye Opener) which are necessary for affirming that an individual is an addict to a certain drug (Lassiter, & Buser, 2017).
Upon screening of the person, the nurse should seek to carry out a medical detoxification. In this intervention, the medical professionals strive to reduce withdrawal symptoms using other medicines such as methadone and suboxone. The withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body’s inability to differentiate phantom pain from real pain. That is the case since the abused drug has already conditioned the body in a way that the pain receptors are not able to differentiate between the two (Lassiter, & Buser, 2017). In Jonathan’s case, the use of the two agents helps the individual to bypass the challenge of withdrawal symptoms as he rehabilitates from the abuse. Consequently, Jonathan becomes non-dependent on the drug
Conclusion
In closure, this paper aimed at scrutinizing a case scenario involving Jonathan, an individual with an addiction to Percocet. Indeed, from the discussion, it is apparent that prescription medications are also subject to abuse. As such, caution is of utmost significance for the prevention of this unwanted event.
References
Estren, M. J., & Potter, B. A. (2013). Prescription drug abuse. Oakland, California: Ronin:PGW/Perseus
Kaye, A. D., & Urman, R. D. (2011). Understanding pain: What you need to know to take control. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger/ABC-CLIO.
Lassiter, P. S., & Buser, T. J. (2017). Annual Review of Addictions and Offender Counseling, Volume III: Best Practices. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Rice, J. (2017). Principles of pharmacology for medical assisting. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
