The Adverse Effects of Opioid Medications on Human Beings

The continued prescription of opioid medications is constantly under scrutiny due to the adverse effects they pose on human beings. The opioid medications are normally used for the management of pain and are prescribed to a large number of people who need pain relief. One of the harmful side effects of the medications is addiction; resulting in instances of overdosing, loss of control and intoxication, coupled with withdrawal (Miller & Gold, 2015). In as much as the medications work in managing pain, there is a great need for alternatives.

            The article deals with the contraindications and harmful side effects of the opioid medications; factors that are ideally handled by nurses. Since the nurses are responsible for the administration of the drugs as well as the recording of the side effects, they are better suited to identify the side effects and record them. Once noted, it is the responsibility of the higher medical fraternity to find alternatives to the harmful medications. Pharmacology deals with the uses, side effects, and modes of actions of drugs, which the article summarizes.

            The crisis impacts the nursing practice in the sense that, nurses are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the drugs administered to the patients are the best and will enable them to recover promptly. With the knowledge of the adverse effects that opioid medications have, the nursing practice is affected since they administer a drug knowing their side effects. The opioid medications are very effective against pain, and there are no alternative medications that currently reach to their level. The article should prompt research for better alternatives or ways through which the side effects can be countered.

Reference

Miller, N. S., & Gold, M. S. (2015). Prescription Opioids and Addiction. Psychiatric Annals, 45(10), 516-521.