A nurse is teaching nursing students about the pharmacology of methyldopa. Which statement by a student indicates the need for further teaching?
a. "Methyldopa results in alpha2 agonist activation, but it is not itself an alpha2 agonist."
b. "Methyldopa is not effective until it is converted to an active compound."
c. "Methyldopa reduces blood pressure by reducing cardiac output."
d. "Methyldopa's principal mechanism is vasodilation, not cardiosuppression."
ANS: C
Methyldopa does not reduce the heart rate or cardiac output, so its hypotensive actions are not the result of cardiac depression. The drug is not, in itself, an alpha2 agonist. When taken up into brainstem neurons, it is converted into methylnorephinephrine, which is an alpha2 agonist; it is not effective until converted to this active compound. Its hypotensive effects are the result of vasodilation, not cardiosuppression.
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