,Pharm Exam 3 – Nursing Pharmacology –
Comprehensive Study Guide with Pain,
Inflammation, Anesthesia, and Renal Topics
2025/2026. 480 Questions and Correct Answers.
Describe pain
- unpleasant sensory and emotional experience
- pain is always a personal experience
- pain and noncicpetion are different because it can not only be inferred from activity in sensory neurons
- pain can help but also have adverse effects
List the process of pain
1. transduction
2. transmission
3. perception
4.modulation
Describe transduction
nociceptors respond to harmful stimuli, converting them to electrical signals
Describe transmission
pain signals that travel along sensory nerves to spinal cord and brain
Describe perception
the brain processing the pain
Describe modulation
the brain and spinal cord modulate the pain response
what are the 3 types of nociceptor stimuli?
- mechanical (pressure: like pinching or stretching)
- thermal (temp)
- chemical (inflammatory mediators: bradykinin)
what is the nociceptor transduction process?
1. activation of pain sensory (nociceptors) detect pressure, heat, or chemical stimuli
2. ion channel opens (charger particles enter nerve cell)
3. action potential (create electric signal to travel spinal cord)
4. neurotransmitter release (transmit pain signal to brain through glutamate and substance P)
,what chemicals do neurotransmitters release to transmit pain signals to the brain?
- glutamate
- substance P
what are pain mediators?
- substances that initiate, transmit, and modulate pain signals
- pain mediators can either increase (facilitate) or decrease (inhibit) pain perception
what are pain facilitators, the ones that increase the pain and make you feel it?
- substance P (amplify pain to spinal cord)
- bradykinin (activate nociceptors)
- nerve growth factor (NGF)- contribute to chronic pain
- histamine (inflammation)
- prostaglandins (inflammation)
- ATP (released during injury)
what does substance P do?
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
- amplify pain to the spinal cord
what does bradykinin do?
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
- activate nociceptors, causing hyperalgesia
what do nerve growth factor do?
- contribute to chronic pain
- sensitize nociceptors
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what does histamine do?
- release inflammation
- contribute to pain and itch
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what do prostaglandins do?
- increase pain in inflammation
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what does ATP do?
- released during injury
- enhance pain signaling
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
, what are the pain inhibitors, the ones that block the pain?
- endorphins (natural opioids that block pain signals)
- endocannabinoids (modulate pain, provide analgesic effects)
what are endorphins?
- pain inhibitors (block pain)
- natural opioids that block pain signals
what are endocannabinoids?
- pain inhibitors (block pain)
- modulate pain, provide analgesic effects
describe acute pain
- sudden onset
- short duration
- increase BP, HR, RR, dilated pupils, diaphoresis
- restlessness, inability to concentrate, apprehension, distress
describe chronic pain
- lasts longer than 6 months
- normal BP, HR, RR, normal pupils, dry skin
- immobility, physical inactivity, withdrawal, despair
what are the 4 types of acute pain?
- nociceptive pain
- neuropathic pain
- inflammatory pain
- non inflammatory pain/ non neuropathic pain
Describe nociceptive pain
- tissue injury
- involves both visceral and somatic
What is somatic pain?
- nociceptive pain
- skin, muscles, bones
- sharp, localized
- ex: fractures, cuts, arthritis
what is visceral pain?
- nociceptive pain
- internal organs
Comprehensive Study Guide with Pain,
Inflammation, Anesthesia, and Renal Topics
2025/2026. 480 Questions and Correct Answers.
Describe pain
- unpleasant sensory and emotional experience
- pain is always a personal experience
- pain and noncicpetion are different because it can not only be inferred from activity in sensory neurons
- pain can help but also have adverse effects
List the process of pain
1. transduction
2. transmission
3. perception
4.modulation
Describe transduction
nociceptors respond to harmful stimuli, converting them to electrical signals
Describe transmission
pain signals that travel along sensory nerves to spinal cord and brain
Describe perception
the brain processing the pain
Describe modulation
the brain and spinal cord modulate the pain response
what are the 3 types of nociceptor stimuli?
- mechanical (pressure: like pinching or stretching)
- thermal (temp)
- chemical (inflammatory mediators: bradykinin)
what is the nociceptor transduction process?
1. activation of pain sensory (nociceptors) detect pressure, heat, or chemical stimuli
2. ion channel opens (charger particles enter nerve cell)
3. action potential (create electric signal to travel spinal cord)
4. neurotransmitter release (transmit pain signal to brain through glutamate and substance P)
,what chemicals do neurotransmitters release to transmit pain signals to the brain?
- glutamate
- substance P
what are pain mediators?
- substances that initiate, transmit, and modulate pain signals
- pain mediators can either increase (facilitate) or decrease (inhibit) pain perception
what are pain facilitators, the ones that increase the pain and make you feel it?
- substance P (amplify pain to spinal cord)
- bradykinin (activate nociceptors)
- nerve growth factor (NGF)- contribute to chronic pain
- histamine (inflammation)
- prostaglandins (inflammation)
- ATP (released during injury)
what does substance P do?
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
- amplify pain to the spinal cord
what does bradykinin do?
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
- activate nociceptors, causing hyperalgesia
what do nerve growth factor do?
- contribute to chronic pain
- sensitize nociceptors
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what does histamine do?
- release inflammation
- contribute to pain and itch
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what do prostaglandins do?
- increase pain in inflammation
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
what does ATP do?
- released during injury
- enhance pain signaling
- pain facilitator (increases pain)
, what are the pain inhibitors, the ones that block the pain?
- endorphins (natural opioids that block pain signals)
- endocannabinoids (modulate pain, provide analgesic effects)
what are endorphins?
- pain inhibitors (block pain)
- natural opioids that block pain signals
what are endocannabinoids?
- pain inhibitors (block pain)
- modulate pain, provide analgesic effects
describe acute pain
- sudden onset
- short duration
- increase BP, HR, RR, dilated pupils, diaphoresis
- restlessness, inability to concentrate, apprehension, distress
describe chronic pain
- lasts longer than 6 months
- normal BP, HR, RR, normal pupils, dry skin
- immobility, physical inactivity, withdrawal, despair
what are the 4 types of acute pain?
- nociceptive pain
- neuropathic pain
- inflammatory pain
- non inflammatory pain/ non neuropathic pain
Describe nociceptive pain
- tissue injury
- involves both visceral and somatic
What is somatic pain?
- nociceptive pain
- skin, muscles, bones
- sharp, localized
- ex: fractures, cuts, arthritis
what is visceral pain?
- nociceptive pain
- internal organs
