A child who receives valproic acid (Depakote) begins taking ...

[mwit1967]

A child who receives valproic acid (Depakote) begins taking lamotrigine (Lamictal) because of an increase in the number of seizures. The nurse will observe this child closely for which symptom?
 
  a. Angioedema
  b. Hypohidrosis
  c. Rash
  d. Psychosis

Question 2

A child is diagnosed with absence seizures, and the prescriber orders ethosuximide (Zarontin). When teaching the child's parents about dosage adjustments for this drug, the nurse will stress the importance of:
 
  a. frequent serum drug level monitoring.
  b. learning as much as possible about the disorder and its treatment.
  c. recording the number of seizures the child has each day.
  d. reporting dizziness and drowsiness to the provider.

[ryrychapman11]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
Lamotrigine can cause life-threatening rashes, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, and this risk increases with concurrent use of valproic acid. Angioedema is an adverse effect associated with pregabalin. Hypohidrosis and psychosis are associated with topiramate.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Measurements of plasma drug levels are less important than observation of seizure activity for determining effective dosages for absence seizures, because this type of seizure is characterized by as many as several hundred occurrences a day. Keeping a chart of seizure activity is the best way to monitor drug effectiveness when treating absence seizures. Frequent drug level monitoring is important when side effects occur to ensure that drug toxicity is not occurring. Learning about the disorder is an important part of adherence. Dizziness and drowsiness are common side effects that diminish with continued use.

[mwit1967]

Excellent

[ktidd]

TYSM