Pharmacology Flashcards
If the patient is on allopurinol why are they taking it?
Gout
Can allopurinol relieve acute attacks of gout, if not, what should the patient do to prevent it?
No, the drug can’t prevent acute attacks.
Please take an NASID and drink 2-3 liters of water to prevent kidney stones.
If the patient is on allopurinol, they said and you notice that they have a skin rash…is that a normal thing?
No, it’s not normal. This is a hypersensitive reaction and can be life threatening.
Why is my patient on gemfibrozil?
Their serum triglycerides are very high
If my patient is on gemfibrozil what lab work should I monitor?
Monitor liver function because this drug decreases the triglycerides by decreasing the liver uptake of fatty acids. These fatty acids can cause liver toxicity.
Why is my patient on sirolimus and what fruit should they avoid.
They had a kidney transplant and I don’t want them to reject the kidney. Tell them to avoid the grapefruit.
So, you see your patient applying topical lidocaine to a spot before needle injection…tell me some advice you’d tell him to decrease risk for toxicity?
Apply a small amount to an area of skin that is intact
Why is my patient being given brimonidine? Is this for short term or long term treatment?
It is being given because they have a diagnosis of : Open angle glacoma. And it is for long term treatment.
What does brimonidine do for the eye?
It decreases the intraocular pressure by decreasing the aqueous humor produced
Lol…what is sildenafil citrate? Laymen’s term? And what is it used for?
The blue pill…viagra
It is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It sometimes used to treat pulmonary hypertension
Scenario:
Patient is taking nitroglycerin (in whatever form) to treat their heart failure. He told the nurse he wanted to have sex tonight with his mistress and wanted a prescription for sildenafil citrate. The doctor signed the prescription. Is the doctor correct in this case?
No!!!!!!!!
Red flag, don’t mix these two drugs because it’s going to lower the patients blood pressure.
Don’t take that chance.
So the patient was transported to the ER. Has angina and high blood pressure, like 200/100. He has hair all over, his chest, arms, back. He has a prescription for a nitroglycerin patch. What would you do first? Why?
Find a razor…trim area that will have the nitroglycerin patch because the area needs to be free from hair in order to be absorbed.
So the charge nurse screamed at the student nurse not to apply the new nitroglycerin patch in same location. Why? And the charge nurse said that to apply above the heart-is that right?
If you apply the patch in same location it will cause skin irritation.
No, there is no specific need to apply the patch solely above the heart. It can go other places below the heart.
Tell me some side effects of nitroglycerin?
Abdominal pain,
Nausea,
Vomiting,
Blurred vision
So before you give the nitroglycerin, what is it pivotal for the nurse to do/monitor?
Monitor blood pressure before and after administering nitroglycerin
Black cohosh is used for what?
Used to treat symptoms of menopause:
-Hot flashes
-Vaginal dryness
-Irritability
-Night sweats
So, St. John’s wort can be given orally and topically-right? If I give it orally it is being used to treat, what? If I use it topically it is used to treat what?
Yes, use it orally or topically.
If you use it orally:
- depression
- pain
- inflammation
If you use it topically:
- used to manage local infections
Taking the antidepressant sertraline and the herbal supplement St. John’s wort together puts the patient at risk for?
Serotonin syndrome
Don’t even take it two hours apart. Don’t take them together at all.
