A patient is taking ethosuximide (Zarontin) for absence seizures. He or she complains of gastrointestinal (GI) upset associated with the drug. The nurse will encourage the patient to do what?
A) "Take the drug 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal."
B) "Decrease the dosage."
C) "Take the drug with food."
D) "Discontinue the drug and ask his or her physician to prescribe another drug."
C
Feedback:
If GI irritation occurs with ethosuximide, the patient should be encouraged to take the medication with food to reduce this adverse effect. A nurse would never tell a patient to decrease the dosage or discontinue a drug. That advice should only be given by the patient's medication prescriber. Taking the drug 1 to 2 hours after meals would not reduce this effect.
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