Erica is a 50-year-old woman who developed insomnia around the time that she began menopause
She began treating her insomnia with over-the-counter hypnotics with reasonable success but stopped taking them early this week on the advice of a friend. Erica now describes her insomnia as being "worse than ever." The nurse should recognize what factor as the likely cause of her present insomnia?
A) The fact that she stopped taking hypnotics suddenly rather than gradually
B) The fact that she did not replace the hypnotic with a different drug prior to stopping the first drug
C) The fact that her insomnia is attributable to hormonal causes rather than psychosocial factors
D) The fact that she did not allow enough time to develop a stable serum level of the drug
Ans: A
Feedback:
Hypnotic drugs should usually be tapered down rather than abruptly discontinued. Stopping suddenly may result in rebound insomnia. The lack of a stable serum level and the role of hormonal factors are unlikely to be the cause of this client's current sleep disorder. It would normally be unsafe to take two hypnotics concurrently.
You might also like to view...
The information that provides the patient's system the capacity to interact with the environment is called
A. Consciousness. B. Subconsciousness. C. Caution. D. Intuition.
If a patient is having a hypoglycemic episode, which of the following choices would be best to give first if the patient is able to swallow?
a. Diet cola b. Coffee (caffeine) c. Orange juice d. An antidiabetic pill
A common cause of folate deficiency in adults is:
1. alcoholism. 2. sprue. 3. gastrectomy. 4. peptic ulcer disease.
A patient suffered multiple traumatic injuries and received many blood transfusions within a few days of the injuries. For which medical condition should the healthcare professional monitor the patient for?
a. High blood pressure b. HIV infection c. Hemosiderosis d. Kidney damage