A patient with cancer who has been taking an opioid agonist for pain tells the nurse that he must be addicted because the pain relief only lasts about a half hour instead of several hours. What is the nurse's best response?
a. "You are correct and are most likely now addicted to this drug."
b. "You may be developing dependence on the drug, which makes addiction more likely to develop."
c. "This is normal and you are not addicted. Because your body has started eliminating it more rapidly, you now need a higher dose for pain relief."
d. "You do need more drug for pain relief but if we do that, it is more likely that your breathing will be affected and could result in death."
