An Alzheimer's patient has been taking a cholinesterase inhibitor ...

[james9437]

An Alzheimer's patient has been taking a cholinesterase inhibitor for a week. What anticipated side effects (signs and symptoms) related to the medication would the nurse anticipate in the patient?
 
  a. Numbness and tingling in the extremities
  b. Headache and confusion
  c. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
  d. Tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss

Question 2

A nurse is teaching a class on Alzheimer's disease to a group of nurses. One of the nurses asks how a cholinesterase inhibitor drug works in the Alzheimer's patient. The nurse's best response would be
 
  a. It helps the healthier nerve cells transmit impulses better.
  b. It promotes excretion of neurotoxins.
  c. It reverses central nervous system cell degeneration.
  d. It helps grow new nerve cells to replace damaged ones in the brain.

[spencer.martell]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
By elevating acetylcholine in the periphery, all cholinesterase inhibitors can cause typical cholinergic side effects, including nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, and diarrhea.
Numbness and tingling of the extremities are not expected side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors.
Headache and confusion are not expected side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors.
Tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss are not expected effects of cholinesterase inhibitors.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
Cholinesterase inhibitors prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesteras e. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, the result is enhanced transmission by central cholinergic neurons that have not yet been destroyed.
A cholinesterase inhibitor does not promote the excretion of neurotoxins.
A cholinesterase inhibitor does not reverse central nervous system degeneration.
A cholinesterase inhibitor does not stimulate new nerve cell growth.

[james9437]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[mjenn52]

TYSM