A nurse performs a medication history on a newly admitted patient. The patient reports taking amitriptyline (Elavil) 75 mg at bedtime for 6 weeks to treat depression
The patient reports having continued fatigue, lack of energy, and depressed mood. The nurse will contact the provider to discuss which intervention?
a. Beginning to taper the amitriptyline
b. Changing to a morning dose schedule
c. Giving the amitriptyline twice daily
d. Increasing the dose of amitriptyline
ANS: A
The response to tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) should occur after 2 to 4 weeks of therapy. If there is no improvement at this time, the TCA should be gradually withdrawn and an SSRI prescribed. TCAs should never be stopped abruptly. TCAs cause fatigue and drowsiness, so they should be given at bedtime. Changing the dose or the dosing schedule are not indicated.
You might also like to view...
Which change in mental status is consistently seen in delirious individuals that differentiates it from dementia?
1. Apraxia 2. Disorientation to self 3. Clouding of consciousness 4. Impaired short-term memory
Which of the following is a step in descriptive phenomenology? Select all that apply
A) Bracketing B) Inferring C) Analyzing D) Describing
During the abdominal assessment of an elderly patient, the nurse palpates a mass in the mid-abdomen. What actions should the nurse take? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected
Select all that apply. 1. Percuss the mass. 2. Ask the patient to cough forcefully and reassess. 3. Notify the physician immediately. 4. Auscultate the mass. 5. Ask the patient about any recent pain in the abdomen.
What is a common scenario for meta-analysis in a nursing study?
A) Comparing the percentage of adolescents using hard drugs to the percentage using alcohol B) Comparing two groups on a continuous outcome C) Predicting health-related behavior from five different variables D) Providing descriptions of caring for the chronically ill