The nurse administers a centrally acting analgesic to a patient who has been receiving it for 1 day after orthopedic surgery with successful pain relief. The patient reports no change in pain 30 minutes after the medication is given. The nurse recognizes that this patient is likely exhibiting:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tachyphylaxis refers to a rapid decrease in the response to a drug after repeated doses over a short period of time. Since the patient experienced no change in pain relief shortly after starting the medication, this suggests tachyphylaxis rather than drug tolerance, which develops over a longer period. It's not indicative of drug-seeking behavior or the placebo effect in this context.

The Nurse Administers a Centrally Acting Analgesic to a Patient