IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025
Pharmacology
Easy

One of the following is used in the management of acute opioid overdose :

Appeared in: IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025

Explanation

  • Naloxone is the drug of choice for reversing an acute opioid overdose.
  • It is a potent, short-acting opioid antagonist that rapidly displaces opioids from their receptors.
  • Its primary life-saving function is the reversal of respiratory depression, the main cause of death in overdose.
  • Due to its short half-life compared to most opioids, repeated doses and close monitoring are essential as the overdose symptoms can return.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: Disulfiram is used for the management of alcohol use disorder, not opioid overdose.
  • Option B: Naltrexone is a long-acting opioid antagonist used for relapse prevention in detoxified patients, not for acute overdose emergencies.
  • Option D: Acamprosate is used to maintain abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Pharmacological Management of Acute Opioid Overdose as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Recognizing and responding to an opioid overdose is a critical nursing skill. The priority is always to restore breathing. Administering naloxone is the first-line medical intervention.
  • A key patient safety point is that the effects of naloxone are temporary. A nurse must never assume the patient is 'cured' after one dose. Continuous monitoring of respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and level of consciousness is mandatory because the patient can re-sedate and stop breathing again.
  • What if? If a patient who is on long-term methadone maintenance therapy for opioid use disorder overdoses on an illicit opioid, they may require higher or repeated doses of naloxone to reverse the overdose because of their high opioid tolerance.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core clinical problem in the question: 'acute opioid overdose'. This is an emergency situation.
  • Next, analyze the options provided. You need to find the medication specifically used for this acute emergency.
  • Recall the different classes of drugs for substance use disorders. Differentiate between emergency reversal agents, long-term maintenance drugs, and drugs for different substances (like alcohol).
  • Evaluate Naloxone: This is a rapid-acting opioid antagonist, fitting the need for an emergency reversal agent.
  • Evaluate Naltrexone: This is also an opioid antagonist but is long-acting and used for relapse prevention, not emergencies.
  • Evaluate Disulfiram and Acamprosate: Recall that these are used for alcohol dependence, not opioids. This eliminates them as correct answers.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Pharmacological Management of Acute Opioid Overdose
  • Stem keywords: management, acute opioid overdose
  • Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Q67XFSrHoVvCO-kMo-p-vF

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 946-948, 2182-2184

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 10910-10912

Practise the full IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.