NCLEX Prep Ch. 12 Pharm

A patient is admitted to the emergency department after taking an overdose of a barbiturate 15 minutes before arrival. The nurse can anticipate that which drug will be prescribed?

Charcoal (Activated charcoal): There is no antidote for barbiturates. The use of activated charcoal binds to the drug in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, preventing absorption.

Which statement is accurate for the nurse to use when teaching a patient the difference between a sedative and hypnotic effect of a drug?

"Most drugs produce sedation at low doses and sleep, the hypnotic effect, at higher doses.": Many drugs have both sedative and hypnotic properties, with the sedative properties evident at low doses and the hypnotic properties demonstrated at larger doses.

An intravenous dose of midazolam (Versed) has been prescribed for a patient before a colonoscopy. What does the nurse teach the patient is the most common adverse effect of this medication?

Amnesia: Versed is known to cause amnesia and anxiolysis (reduced anxiety) as well as sedation and is most commonly used preoperatively for certain procedures.

A patient is admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of benzodiazepine overdose. The nurse anticipates the health care provider will prescribe which antidote for benzodiazepine overdose?

Flumazenil (Romazicon): Flumazenil is the antidote for benzodiazepine overdose. The other options are only effective against opioid agonist effects.

The health care provider prescribes dantrolene (Dantrium) to a patient immediately after surgery. The nurse is aware this medication is used to treat what condition?

Malignant hyperthermia: Dantrolene is a direct acting skeletal muscle relaxant and is the drug of choice to treat malignant hyperthermia, a possible complication of generalized anesthesia.

Which nursing diagnosis is appropriate for a patient who has just been administered a sedative-hypnotic drug?

Risk for injury and falls: Sedative-hypnotic drugs cause central nervous system depression, putting the patient at risk for injury and falls.

The nurse would monitor an older adult patient prescribed a benzodiazepine for treatment of insomnia for which potential adverse effect?

Unsteady gait: Benzodiazepine doses for children and older adults should be small with gradual increases to avoid ataxia (unsteady gait) and excessive sedation. Thus, these patients should be closely monitored for these adverse effects.