Analgesics

The current, concise, detailed resource for patient pain meds...

Dangerous Combinations with Other Drugs: It is dangerous to combine alcohol with anything else that makes you sleepy. This includes other sedative drugs, such as opiates (eg, heroin, morphine, or Dermerol), barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital), Quaaludes (methaqualone), Valium-like drugs (benzodiazepines), sleep medication like Ambien, and even the antihistamines found in some cold medicines. Finally, acetaminophen (the pain reliever in Tylenol) should not be used with alcohol, or shortly after drinking, because the combination could damage the liver.

Loaded with information and tables on NSAIDS and opioid and nonopioid analgesics, this up-to-date compact but potent 120-page handbook from the prestigious American Pain Society covers everything:

• average dosages
• brand names
• dose intervals
• maximum daily doses
• pediatric doses
• efficacy comparisons
• plasma half-life

You'll also learn why some patients, especially children, are shy about reporting pain. You can identify the presence of acute pain by checking for pallor, dilated pupils, profuse perspiration, hypertension, and tachycardia even before patients report they're experiencing pain.