A client with bipolar disorder reveals to the clinic nurse that she may be 4 weeks' pregnant. What action should the nurse take?
1. Confer with the physician about ordering a pregnancy test and discontinuing lith-ium.
2. Instruct the client to continue taking lithium according to the treatment plan.
3. Suggest to the physician that the lithium dose should be increased for better symptom control.
4. Remind the client that barrier birth control methods should be used to prevent pregnancy during lithium therapy.
ANS: 1
The first need is to learn whether the client is pregnant. Lithium ingestion by the mother can cause fetal damage. Lithium should be discontinued if pregnancy is confirmed. Thus options 2 and 3 are inappropriate and harmful. Option 4 is appropriate only if the pregnancy test is nega-tive.
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