A patient with myxedema complains to the nurse that he has a "hangover" the next morning after taking a pain medication at night. Which explanation by the nurse is the most accurate?
a. "You have increased sensitivity to the medicine because of your thyroid condition."
b. "Because you haven't been sleeping, you have increased fatigue and should increase the analgesic."
c. "You are not taking enough thyroid medication and you should increase the dosage."
d. "The pain medication is incompatible with your thyroid medication and you should find another analgesic to take."
ANS: A
Myxedema patients are sensitive to small doses of sedative hypnotics, anesthetics, and narcotics. Increasing the analgesic would only make the patient feel more lethargic in the morning. The patient should not change the dose of his thyroid medication without consulting his primary health care provider. Any pain medication is likely to have this effect because of the patient's thyroid condition.
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