Help with words? "Nodding off"

I'm looking for a medically appropriate way to say, "nodding off." I want to describe a patient who would repeatedly become lethargic for a few seconds at a time after taking a narcotic. Any suggestions?
Somnolent= excessive drowsiness and responds to stimuli only with incoherent mumbles.Obtunded= decreased interest in their surroundings, slowed responses, and sleepiness

"S/S of excessive sleepiness AEB frequent head bobbing, closing of eyes, mumbling, etc."or"The pt. appeared soporific" (which, as an adjective, means to induce drowsiness or sleep).

That is a good question...

I've used somnolent before but usually describe the appearance like mluvsgnc does. Haven't seen anyone that I wanted to call obtunded yet.

Quote from caliotter3I've used somnolent before but usually describe the appearance like mluvsgnc does. Haven't seen anyone that I wanted to call obtunded yet.

We try to avoid using the word "appears" but rather chart exactly what we see. We also don't chart "sleeping, or asleep, etc." If your patient died shortly thereafter it would look like he was actually dead when you thought he was sleeping. I use "eyes closed, resp. even and unl; skin warm to touch" to indicate the patient is asleep, but obviously alive. Just chart "lethargic but easily aroused" if he is simply falling asleep from a narcotic.

"Drowsy but rouses to voice"

Hmmmm. All good suggestions. My patient was A&O x4 but had intermittent, very brief spells of somnolence after getting his meds. He would fall asleep, and then wake, sometimes with a startle. I have experienced something like that when exhausted and also observed it in recreational drug users. I want to capture the fact that it was brief and intermittent. Did I miss something with him? The idea terrifies me. I work in LTC with people who are stable. I'm in my last semester of RN school, only just starting to work with medically complicated patients. The staff nurse was in and out of the room constantly and I told her and my instructor about the episodes. I hope he's OK.

Quote from RaviepooHmmmm. All good suggestions. My patient was A&O x4 but had intermittent, very brief spells of somnolence after getting his meds. He would fall asleep, and then wake, sometimes with a startle. I have experienced something like that when exhausted and also observed it in recreational drug users. I want to capture the fact that it was brief and intermittent. Did I miss something with him? The idea terrifies me. I work in LTC with people who are stable. I'm in my last semester of RN school, only just starting to work with medically complicated patients. The staff nurse was in and out of the room constantly and I told her and my instructor about the episodes. I hope he's OK.

I would describe what you are seeing, vital signs along with overall appearance. You could describe it as increased lethargy noted after medication(name) administration and if the response is to voice, tactile or pain stimulation. Also, is the patient sleeping at night? Most have disturbed sleep when they are in any facility, so you might want to initiate a sleep log that would record when the pt is actually sleeping. Perphaps they are only sleeping around 4 hours a night etc which would cause them to be a little drowsy during the day and moreso after a narcotic medication. Does the narcotic dose need to be reduced?

Quote from applewhiternWe try to avoid using the word "appears" but rather chart exactly what we see. We also don't chart "sleeping, or asleep, etc." If your patient died shortly thereafter it would look like he was actually dead when you thought he was sleeping. I use "eyes closed, resp. even and unl; skin warm to touch" to indicate the patient is asleep, but obviously alive. Just chart "lethargic but easily aroused" if he is simply falling asleep from a narcotic.