A patient has questioned why she cannot stop taking her prescribed corticosteroid as soon as she achieves relief of her symptoms. The nurse should explain the rationale for the patient's regimen based on which of the following?
A) The serum half-life of many corticosteroids can exceed 3 months.
B) Corticosteroids are sequestered in hepatocytes and released over several weeks.
C) The HPA axis does not normally resume full function for several months.
D) Abrupt cessation of corticosteroid therapy can cause nephrotoxicity.
C
Feedback:
When steroids are given for purposes other than replacement and then discontinued, the HPA axis usually recovers within several weeks to months, but recovery may take a year. The necessity for tapering is not based on the half-life of the drugs, storage in the liver, or the potential for nephrotoxicity.
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In designing a teaching plan for an AIDS patient relative to food preparation precautions, the nurse would include the need to (select all that apply):
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Which does the nurse include in client teaching to perform PEFR?
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