Author Question: A nurse is teaching a class on addiction. Which statement by one of the class participants indicates ... (Read 103 times)

misspop · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A nurse is teaching a class on addiction. Which statement by one of the class participants indicates a need for further teaching?

a. Addictive drugs lead to dopamine release in amounts similar to those released by normal reward circuits.
b. Neural remodeling leads to decreased dopamine release, leaving users with feelings of lifelessness and depression.
c. Over time, the brain will develop reduced responses to many addictive drugs.
d. With the use of a drug over time, the brain undergoes synaptic remodeling.

Question 2

A patient who has been taking a medication with a side effect of drowsiness stops taking the medication after several weeks. The patient reports feeling anxious and jittery. The nurse understands that this response is due to:

a. addiction.
b. psychologic dependence.
c. tolerance.
d. withdrawal syndrome.

dudman123 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Drugs of addiction use the same reward circuits that are used to reward biologically critical behaviors such as eating and sexual intercourse. However, addictive drugs lead to dopamine release that can be 2 to 10 times higher than that released naturally. Eventually, neural remodeling occurs, causing the brain to produce less dopamine and to reduce the number of dopamine receptors, leaving addicts feeling depressed and lifeless. This process of down-regulation reduces the response to the drug. All of this is part of the synaptic remodeling that occurs when the brain is exposed to a drug over a period of time.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
Withdrawal syndrome occurs when patients have developed a physical dependence on a drug and then often show symptoms that are the opposite of the drug's effect when the drug is withdrawn. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking. Psychologic dependence is an intense subjective need for a drug. Tolerance develops when increased amounts of a drug are needed to achieve the drug's effects.