Download Most Often Missed Pharmacology

Most Often Missed Pharmacology
1. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) - Most often prescribed medication to treat
depression. Interacts negatively with MAOI’s, other drugs used to treat depression.
Recognizing the adverse effects is to monitor a patient for severe hypotension.
2. Cardiac Glycosides (Digoxin)-recognizing side effects. At doses close to therapeutic they can
cause severe dysrhythmias. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and visual
disturbances.
3. Antipsychotics- evaluating atypical therapeutic effects. Used for schizophrenia, atypical=second
generation (not as many side effects) however all have side effects of obesity, diabetes,
orthostatic hypotension, and dyslipidemia. Therapeutic effects include: relieving general
schizophrenia and reducing suicidal behavior. Improves the positive and negative symptoms,
positive symptoms include: hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, and disordered thinking/speech.
Negative symptoms include: social/emotional withdrawal, poor insight, judgment, and self-care.
4. Antimycobacterial-evaluating effectiveness of treatment for tuberculosis. Needs to be 2 drug
regime, drug resistance and inadequate therapy can be problems, evaluation of therapy comes
with sputum cultures, chest x-ray and clinical evaluation.
5. High ceiling loop diuretics client teaching-s/s dehydration, hypotension (monitor BP),
hypokalemia (eat foods high in K+) and ototoxicity (deafness is transient)
6. Basic pharmacological principles, frequent IV antibiotic dosing-requires that the antibiotic be
present at the site of infection, in an effective concentration, for a sufficient time. Should not
be discontinued prematurely, even if patient feels better and s/s have disappeared. Early
withdrawal causes recurrent infection and drug resistance.
7. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-identifying contraindications-ulcers, bleeding, pregnant
women, hypersensitivity, children with chicken pox or influenza.
8. Sulfonamides-identifying contraindications-do not give to patients with hypersensitivity
(Stevens-Johnson syndrome), anemia (causes it), kernicterus, and renal damage ( causes
crystals)
9. Opiod agonists-interventions for pain management-can produce, euphoria, sedation, respiratory
depression, physical dependence, and constipation. Used for moderate to severe pain, not
intermittent or sharp.
10. Medication administration-evaluate and document patient response to medication-summary of
monitoring, evaluating therapeutic effects, minimizing adverse effects and interactions, and
managing toxicity.