A nurse suspects that a patient is exhibiting signs and symptoms of physical dependence on a central nervous system drug. The nurse should plan to implement which of the following interventions?
a. Increase the drug dose to prevent withdrawal per the prescriber's orders.
b. Monitor the patient for signs and symptoms of tolerance.
c. Taper the medication to prevent withdrawal as prescribed.
d. Augment the central nervous system drug with another, less potent central nervous system drug as prescribed.
ANS: C
Physical dependence would require the dose to be decreased and eventually tapered off to prevent an abstinence syndrome, which is specific to physical withdrawal.
A dose increase would be contraindicated, because it may make the patient more dependent and is consistent with drug tolerance.
There is no indication that the patient should be monitored for signs and symptoms of tolerance, which is different from physical dependence.
The central nervous system drug would not be augmented with another drug, because this indicates an addition to the drug regimen, not a replacement.
You might also like to view...
When assessing a patient with hepatitis, the nurse notes a yellow tinge to the patient's skin. What does the nurse understand as the most likely cause of the jaundice?
a. Heart b. Liver c. Brain d. Intestines
A newly admitted patient with schizophrenia approaches the unit nurse and says, "The voices are bothering me. They are yelling and telling me stuff. They are really bad.". Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
a. "Do you hear these voices very often?" b. "Do you have a plan for getting away from the voices?" c. "I'll stay with you. Tell me what you are hearing.". d. "Try to ignore them and play cards with the others.".
A nurse reviews these laboratory values: digoxin level, 10 ng/mL; serum potassium, 6.2. The nurse notifies the health care provider and anticipates administration of which drug?
a. K+ supplements b. Atropine c. Epinephrine d. Digoxin immune Fab (Digibind)
A(n) ________ is a device that measures the air flowing out of the lungs, called the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), as a patient blows forcefully into the device.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).