The client who has been taking high-dose corticosteroid therapy for a month to treat a severe inflammatory condition, which has now resolved, asks the nurse why she needs to continue taking the corticosteroids. What is the nurse's best response?
A. "It is possible for the inflammation to recur when corticosteroid therapy is halted."
B. "Corticosteroids are a type of hormone. Once you have been started on a re-placement hormone, you must continue the hormone replacement therapy for the rest of your life."
C. "The drug suppressed your own adrenal gland secretion of corticosteroids. Slowly decreasing the dose over time allows your adrenal glands to start adequate se-cretion again."
D. "The drug suppressed your immune system while you were taking it. Slowly de-creasing the dose over time prevents your immune system from starting up too quickly and initiating allergic reactions."
C
One of the most common causes of adrenal insufficiency, a life-threatening problem, is the sud-den cessation of long-term, high-dose corticosteroid therapy. This therapy suppresses the hypo-thalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and must be withdrawn gradually to allow for pituitary produc-tion of ACTH and adrenal production of cortisol.
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A client is prescribed a medication that will affect the autonomic nervous system. The nurse knows that the body's response to this medication will begin in the hypothalamus and travel to which structures?
Standard Text: Select all that apply. 1. Medulla oblongata 2. Brainstem 3. Spinal cord 4. Spleen 5. Small intestines
The nurse is administering hormones to several clients. The nurse recognizes that which medication order represents exaggerated response therapy?
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