Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking opioid pain medications as follows:
- Avoid using opioid pain medications along with other medications that have a potential to cause respiratory depression, such as, muscle relaxants, sedatives, and antianxiety medications. Though they cause mild respiratory depression individually, they can have an additive effect when combined with opioid pain medications and thus, precipitate severe respiratory depression.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
- Do not change the dose on opioid pain medications without consulting your doctor.
- Do not share your opioid pain medications with any family and friends. Keep a regular track of the number of pills left in your pillbox, to prevent a chance for abuse, as this is one of the most commonly abused drug.
- Do not take opioid pain medications with alcohol. Both alcohol and opioid pain medications depress the respirations. When taken together, their effects on respirations can get added up and lead to severe respiratory depression, coma, and can even be fatal. Also, combining opioid pain medications with alcohol can increase the chance for liver injury many folds.
