A postoperative patient is being discharged home with ...

[sarasara]

A postoperative patient is being discharged home with acetaminophen/hydrocodone Lortab for pain. The patient asks the nurse about using Tylenol for fever. Which statement by the nurse is correct?
 
  a. It is not safe to take over-the-counter drugs with prescription medications.
  b. Taking the two medications together poses a risk of drug toxicity.
  c. There are no known drug interactions, so this will be safe.
  d. Tylenol and Lortab are different drugs, so there is no risk of overdose.

Question 2

A nurse is caring for a patient receiving intrathecal baclofen Lioresal. The patient is unrespon-sive. After asking a coworker to contact the provider, the nurse anticipates performing which in-tervention?
 
  a. Preparing to support respirations
  b. Administering an antidote to baclofen
  c. Administering diazepam to prevent sei-zures
  d. Obtaining an electrocardiogram

[xiaomengxian]

Answer to Question 1

B
Tylenol is the trade name and acetaminophen is the generic name for the same medication. It is important to teach patients to be aware of the different names for the same drug to minimize the risk of overdose. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications and prescription medications may be tak-en together unless significant harmful drug interactions are possible. Even though no drug inte-ractions are at play in this case, both drugs contain acetaminophen, which could lead to toxicity.

Answer to Question 2

A
An overdose of baclofen can produce coma and respiratory depression, so the nurse would be correct to suspect overdose in this patient. Respiratory support is essential to prevent a fatal out-come. There is no antidote for baclofen overdose. Diazepam would not be indicated, because seizures are not a result of baclofen overdose and may further depress respirations. An electro-cardiogram is not indicated for this patient.

[sarasara]

Gracias!

[kjohnson]

TYSM