Reference no: EM133584170

Case Study: Carl is a 46-year-old truck driver who has back pain. He has arrived in the ER and tells you he is having almost continuous pain that he rates at 5-7 on a scale of 0-10 and when he sits he rates the pain as a 9. He says that he needs "stronger" pain medication. He is scheduled to see the specialist about the possibility of surgery in two months. His pain medication includes Tylenol #2 and Ibuprofen and has been advised to take the pain medication as needed. His wife asks if she could talk to you for a minute as she has some concerns. She is worried that her husband is becoming addicted to the pain meds as he takes several pills a day, plus he drinks beer every night until he falls asleep.

Questions:

• How would you respond to Carl's request for more pain meds?
• Is Carl showing signs of addiction? Consider the difference in the terms addiction and tolerance. Is Physical Dependence a sign of Addiction?
• What would you say to his wife?
• Take this time to explore in your drug guides or the CPS the differences in Tylenol #2 and Tylenol #3.