An alert and oriented elderly patient is prescribed oral morphine sulfate for acute pain management. The patient is on bed rest and is NPO except for meds. The nurse is most concerned about which side effect of oral morphine sulfate?

Explanation

•Opioid analgesics commonly cause constipation, especially in the elderly.  Bed rest and being NPO are also contributing factors for constipation. For this reason, the nurse is most concerned about this 

•Nausea is a side effect of opioid analgesics, but the patient is NPO and is unlikely to vomit. This makes the discomfort of nausea lower on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

•The nurse would be most concerned about addressing the side effects of constipation (a physiologic need), and then would address nausea.

•Opioid analgesics can cause nausea and dizziness, but hypertension is not a side effect of these drugs. 

•The patient is on bed rest and not confused, so any risks related to dizziness are not the primary concern.

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