A homebound patient drinks a six-pack of beer daily. The patient ...

[Mimi]

A homebound patient drinks a six-pack of beer daily. The patient tells the nurse, I've been having pain from my arthritis lately, so I take acetaminophen four times a day..
 
  The nurse's priority interventions include: (Select all that apply.)
  a. determining the safety of the dose the patient is ingesting daily.
  b. inquiring about sleep disturbances caused by mixing alcohol and analgesics.
  c. advising the patient of the harmful effect of alcohol and acetaminophen on the liver.
  d. suggesting increasing the acetaminophen dose, since alcohol causes faster excretion.
  e. assessing for declining functional status associated with medication-induced dementia.

Question 2

Antidepressant drugs
 
  1. keep the client from becoming manic.
  2. increase certain neurotransmitter activity.
  3. cure the problems associated with depression.
  4. help the client ignore feelings of depression.

[jessicaduplan]

Answer to Question 1

A, C
The nurse should be concerned with the patient's use of alcohol and acetaminophen because the toxicity of acetaminophen is enhanced by alcohol and by the age-related decrease in clearance. The nurse must determine whether the acetaminophen dose is within safe limits or is excessive and provide this information to the patient. Next, the nurse must provide health education regarding the danger of combined use of acetaminophen and alcohol. The patient will likely need to discontinue alcohol or consult the health care provider about another analgesic that is less hepatotoxic. Additional acetaminophen would cause greater liver damage. Dementia is not suggested by the scenario.

Answer to Question 2

2
Physiology of antidepressants