Chapter 47: Lipid-Lowering Agents

You are teaching your client about nicotinic acid, which the physician has prescribed for treatment of hyperlipidemia. What common adverse effect should you mention to the client?

Flushing of the skin

Which of the following lipid levels would the nurse interpret as being high?

LDL cholesterol of 180 mg/dL

Your patient, a 37-year-old woman with moderately elevated lipid levels, requests immediate pharmacotherapy for her dyslipidemia. You explain that a period of intensive diet therapy and lifestyle modification will be utilized before drug therapy is considered. You explain the rationale for this regimen as:

Therapeutic lifestyle changes are the preferred method for lowering blood lipids.

Which of the following are examples of modifiable risk factors for hyperlipidemia? (Select all that apply)

• Diet • Weight

A patient is receiving atorvastatin. The nurse would anticipate that the maximum effectiveness of the drug would occur within which time frame?

1 to 2 hours

Which of the following activities increases high-density lipoproteins?

All of these Weight loss, regular aerobic exercise, and smoking cessation (for those who smoke) all increase HDL cholesterol.

A nurse who provides care in a busy clinic is aware of the high incidence and prevalence of hyperlipidemia and the consequent need for antihyperlipidemics in many patients. Treatment of high cholesterol using statins would be contraindicated in which of the following patients?

An obese male client who is a heavy alcohol user and who has cirrhosis of the liver

A patient is taking atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor) to reduce serum cholesterol. Which of the following aspects of patient teaching is most important?

Call his physician if he develops muscle pain

A patient who has been taking lovastatin (Mevacor) has seen an improvement in his cholesterol laboratory values; however, the low-density lipoprotein remains elevated. What medication will be added to the medical regime?

Cholestyramine (Questran)

A patient is taking cholestyramine. The nurse will assess for which of the following common adverse effects of the drug?

Constipation

Elevated blood lipids are a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and vascular disorders. From where are blood lipids derived?

Diet

A patient is taking cholestyramine (Questran) to reduce LDL cholesterol. Cholestyramine will cause a decrease in absorption of which of the following medications?

Digoxin (Lanoxin)

Niacin is prescribed to a patient to increase HDL levels. What are the most common adverse effects of this therapy? (Select all that apply.)

Flushing of the face • Nausea and stomach upset

The three major classes of drugs used to control blood lipids are statins, bile acid resins (or sequestrants), and fibrates. Which of the following is a fibrate?

Gemfibrozil

Which drug will be most effective in reducing the major types of dyslipidemia?

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors

The most common adverse effects of lovastatin include which of the following?

Headache and flatulence

Increased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) combined with certain risk factors can lead to the development of which medical condition? (Choose one)

Heart Disease

A client diagnosed with hyperlipidemia is prescribed a statin. The nurse is reviewing the client's history and would notify the client's health care provider if which of the following conditions were noted in the client's history?

Liver disease

A patient is taking lovastatin (Mevacor). Which of the following is noted as the most common adverse effects?

Nausea, flatulence, and constipation

The client has been taking rosuvastatin for hyperlipidemia. She now presents with complaints of severe weakness. She states she can barely move her extremities because she is so weak. The nurse suspects the client has which of the following?

Rhabdomyolysis

The nurse is developing a plan of care for a patient who has been admitted to the hospital after a myocardial infarction. The patient begins lovastatin to lower his LDL levels and increase his HDL levels. Based on the adverse reaction of this medication, what would be the most appropriate nursing diagnosis?

Risk for injury to skeletal muscles related to adverse effects of drug therapy

A patient has been prescribed lovastatin for a high cholesterol level. The nurse's teaching plan will include a basic explanation of how the drug produces its therapeutic effect. The nurse will explain that lovastatin lowers cholesterol levels because it

inhibits cholesterol syntheses.

What information would be included in a lipoprotein profile? Select all that apply:

• Triglycerides • LDL • Total cholesterol