A nurse is conducting an in-service for students regarding drug excretion. Which responses by the students indicate an understanding where drug excretion occurs?(Select all that apply.)

Question

1. Breast milk
2. Urine
3. Gastric juice
4. Feces
5. Lungs

Answer 1

1, 2, 4, 5

Rationale 1: Because some drugs are excreted into breast milk, nursing mothers should check with their healthcare providers before taking any drugs or supplements.
Rationale 2: Urine is the major route of excretion for most drugs.
Rationale 3:Gastric juice is incorrect because it is not a route of excretion for drugs.
Rationale 4: Some drugs are excreted into the bile and lost from the body in the feces.
Rationale 5: Some drugs are excreted by the lungs through expiration.

Global Rationale: Excretion processes remove drugs from the body. Drugs are normally removed from the body by the kidneys, the respiratory tract, the GI tract, bile, and glandular activity. Gastric juice is incorrect because it is not a route of excretion for drugs.