| Abuse deterrent | Medications have properties that allow the management of pain but also have properties limit their use for abusive purposes |
| Acute pain | Intense, unpleasant sensation of short duration, lasting less than 6 months |
| Chronic pain | Pain lasting longer than 6 months; Can be as intense as acute pain; can be continuous or intermittent |
| Endorphins | Any one of the neuropeptides composed of many amino acids, elaborated by the pituitary gland and acting on the central and peripheral nervous systems to reduce pain |
| Gate control theory | Suggests Is that pain impulses can be regulated or even blocked by gating mechanisms located along the central nervous system |
| Non-rapid eye movement(NREM) | One of two highly individualized sleeping states divided into four stages through which a sleeper progresses during a typical sleeping cycle; represents three-fourths of a period of typical sleep |
| Noxious | A stimulation of the sensory nerve endings that is harmful, injurious, or detrimental to physical health. |
| Patient-controlled analgesia(PAC) | A drug delivery system that dispenses a preset intravenous dose of an opioid analgesic into a patient's vein when the patient pushes a switch on an electric cord. |
| Rapid eye movement(REM) | One of the two highly individualized sleeping States that follows NREM state.(may last for few hours to half an hour) |
| Referred pain | Pain that is felt at a site other then in the injured or diseased organ or part of the body |
| Synergistic | Action of two or more substances or organs to achieve an effect of which each is capable |
| Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation(TENS) | A type of pain control that is managed with a pocket-sized, Dattery-
operated device that provides a continuous, mild electrical
currento the skin via electrodes |
| Visual analog scale | An objective means of assessing pain severity; (consists of a straight line, representing a continuum of intensity) |
