Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome

Contact Hours: 2

Author(s):

Joanna Grayson, BSN, RN

Course Overview

Opioid withdrawal syndrome occurs when a client who is physiologically dependent on opioids reduces or stops the use of the medication abruptly. When opioid withdrawal is left untreated, it precipitates the client’s return to opioid use to alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal. Opioid withdrawal symptoms occur in 85% of individuals who use opioids. From 1999 to 2022, an estimated 727,000 individuals died from opioid overdose of both prescription and illegal opioids. In the United States, the opioid crisis has been declared a public health emergency. Nurses need to understand opioid withdrawal syndrome since it affects clients of all backgrounds in all medical specialties.

Course Outline

Introduction
The Opioid Crisis
Pathophysiology and Risk Factors
Signs and Symptoms
Assessment and Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications and Prognosis
Nursing Interventions
Legal Issues
Research and Prevention
Conclusion

Course Outcomes

Describe the opioid crisis and how it has impacted research and prevention strategies for opioid withdrawal syndrome.
List the pathophysiology and risk factors associated with opioid withdrawal syndrome.
Compare the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of opioid withdrawal syndrome.
Detail the nursing interventions utilized in opioid withdrawal syndrome.

Accreditations and Approvals

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) (P0614)
California Board of Registered Nursing (CEP 17418)
Kentucky Board of Nursing (7-0090)
Louisiana State Board of Nursing (58)
Florida Board of Nursing (50-23983)
Delaware Board of Nursing (DE-24-010127)
Alabama Board of Nursing (#ABNP1577)
Iowa Board of Nursing (#393)
Kansas Board of Nursing (LT0340-0325)

Approved by the Board of Nursing in every state, you can complete your RN, LVN, and APRN CEUs with confidence.

Accreditation Statement

Nursing CE Central LLC is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

It will take the average learner 120 minutes to complete and awards 2 contact hours of continuing education.

Written For

Registered Nurses (RN)
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN)
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN/LVN)

Requirements for Completion

Enrollment in the course by the learner
Read and learn all course materials
Complete the course evaluation
Attest and testify learning of the course materials

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

Nursing CE Central nor any of the authors, planners, content experts, or any contributors have any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

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Course

Contact Hours

Oral STI Medications

2

Utah APRN Bundle

30

Opioid Abuse

1

New York Mandatory Prescriber Education

3

External Link Child Abuse - Pennsylvania

Pharmacogenomics and Mental Health

3

Antipsychotic Prescribing

3

New Mexico Non-Cancer Pain Management

5

Maine Opioid Prescribing

3

SSRI Use in Anxiety Disorders

1

Tirzepatide for Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Management

1

Differential Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus

2.5

Arkansas APRN Bundle

15

California Schedule II Controlled Substances and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

2

APRN Scope of Practice and Responsibilities

1

North Carolina Opioid Prescribing

3

Oral Hypoglycemic Medications

3

Illinois APRN Bundle

20

Controlled Substances

5

Differential Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

2

External Link Texas Human Trafficking

Safe Prescribing of Opioids

3

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

1

California APRN Course Bundle

30

Ohio APRN Renewal Bundle

24

DVT Treatment

1

Indiana APRN Bundle

30

Washington APRN Bundle

30

North Carolina APRN Bundle Part 2

20

Differential Diagnosis Glaucoma and Cataracts

2

Pediatric ADHD Management

2.5

Connecticut APRN Bundle Part 1

20

Puerto Rico APRN Bundle Part 2

30

Mississippi Controlled Substance

5

Nebraska Opioid Prescribing

3

Illinois Safe Opioid Prescribing

3

Inpatient Antibiotic Therapy

2

Connecticut APRN Bundle Part 2

30

New York APRN Bundle

8

Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management

2

New Jersey APRN Bundle

30

External Link - Washington State Healthcare Professional Telemedicine Training

California Schedule II Controlled Substances and Risk of Addiction

3

Kentucky Pharmacology and Addiction Disorders

1.5

Nevada Cultural Competence in Nursing (DEI Requirement)

3

Wyoming APRN Bundle

30

Differential Diagnosis of Depression

2

Differential Diagnosis: Disorders of the Ear

2

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

2

Michigan Implicit Bias Training - 1 Contact Hour

1

Differential Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder

2

APRN Fluoroscopy Supervision

1

Ohio APRN Practice and Prescribing Laws

2

ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Renewal Bundle

75

Semaglutide and Type 2 Diabetes

2

Maine APRN Bundle Part 1

30

Differential Diagnosis Irritable Bowel Syndrome

2

Iowa Fluoroscopy Supervision

1

Opioid Prescribing and the Use of Codone Compounds

Differential Diagnosis: Vertigo and Dizziness

2

Differential Diagnosis Anxiety Disorders

2

Pharmacological Management of Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism

2

Pharmacological Management of Ventricular Arrhythmias

2

Differential Diagnosis: Carotid Occlusions and Strokes

3

Differential Diagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis

2

Maine APRN Bundle Part 2

20

Differential Diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction

2

Differential Diagnosis of Autism

2

Pharmacological Management of Atrial Fibrillation

2

Pharmacological Management of Overactive Bladder

1

Differential Diagnosis Pancreatic Cancer

2

Differential Diagnosis of Melanoma

3

Differential Diagnosis Congestive Heart Failure

2

Differential Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes

2

Pharmacological Management of Neuropathic Pain

2

Pennsylvania APRN Bundle

32

ANCC Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Renewal Bundle

75

Delaware 24 CE APRN Return to Practice Renewal Bundle

24

Nevada APRN Bundle

45

APRN Pharmacology Bundle

25

Pennsylvania Pain Management and Identification of Addiction

2

Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain

1

Anticoagulant Therapy

2

North Carolina APRN Bundle Part 1

30

North Dakota APRN - Initial Requirements Bundle

30

Wisconsin APRN Bundle

16

Opioid Use in the Terminally Ill

3

Differential Diagnosis of Chest Pain

3

SSRI Use in Major Depressive Disorder

1

Schedule II Controlled Substances and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

2

Opioid Use and Addiction Disorders

1

Hypertensive Agents

2

Differential Diagnosis Parkinson's Disease

3

Differential Diagnosis Epilepsy and Seizures

2

Kentucky Medical Cannabis Laws and Prescribing for APRNs

3

Corticosteroid Therapy

2.5

Iowa Opioid Prescribing

2

South Carolina APRN Bundle

20

Antibiotic Use in UTI

3

Guidelines for Outpatient Antibiotic Therapy

3

Hormone Replacement Therapy

3

GAHT Prescribing

2

Kentucky APRN Bundle

19

Schedule II Controlled Substances and Risks of Addiction

3

IVIG Therapy

3

Arizona Schedule II Controlled Substances and Risks of Addiction

3

MATE Act Training Bundle

8

Anti-Arrhythmics

2

SNRIs for Depression

1.5

Pain Management for Complex Wounds

3

West Virginia APRN Bundle

27

Florida Autonomous NP Bundle

10.5

Kentucky Pharmacology of Medical Cannabis

3

Puerto Rico APRN Bundle Part 1

20

Indiana Opioid Prescribing

2

New Jersey Opioid Prescribing

1

Alabama APRN Bundle

24

Rhode Island APRN Bundle

10

Texas APRN Bundle

20

Washington, DC APRN Bundle

24

Pharmacological Management of Congestive Heart Failure

2

North Dakota APRN Renewal Bundle

15

Louisiana APRN Bundle

12

Texas Tick-Borne Diseases

2

Differential Diagnosis of Pneumonia

2

Oklahoma APRN Bundle

15

Idaho APRN Bundle

30

Massachusetts APRN Bundle

15

Hawaii APRN Bundle

30

Wyoming Safe Prescribing of Opioids

3

Differential Diagnosis of Oral and Esophageal Cancer

3

Alaska APRN Bundle

15

New Hampshire APRN Bundle

30

Tennessee Controlled Substance Prescribing

2

Florida APRN Bundle

29

Differential Diagnosis of Perimenopause and Menopause

Differential Diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

2

A Pharmacological Review of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

2

Differential Diagnosis: Disorders of the Eye

2

Pharmacological Management of Autism Associated Behaviors

3

Pediatric Opioid Prescribing and Monitoring

2

New Mexico Certified Nurse Midwife Renewal Bundle

30

Alaska APRN Initial Application Bundle

60

2025 Virginia Prescribing APRN Renewal Bundle

8.5

Florida Initial Autonomous Pharmacology Bundle

45

Rhode Island 2025 APRN Renewal Bundle

10

Florida Initial Autonomous Differential Diagnosis Course Bundle

45

Differential Diagnosis: Geriatric Failure to Thrive 

2

Arizona APRN Renewal Pharmacology Bundle

45

Arizona APRN Renewal Course Bundle

45

Delaware Returning to Practice APRN Pharmacology Bundle

New Mexico APRN-CNS Pharmacology Bundle

45

Delaware APRN Initial Application Bundle

24

Iowa ARNP Renewal Bundle

36

Florida Certified Nurse Midwife Renewal Bundle

21

Rhode Island APRN Prescribing Renewal Pharmacology Bundle

30

ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Renewal Bundle

75

Pediatric Pain Management

3

Pharmacological Review of Benzodiazepines

3

Medication Management of Diabetes: Current Treatments and Medications

3

Differential Diagnosis of Addison’s Disease