A patient with schizophrenia receives a dose of risperidone ...

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A patient with schizophrenia receives a dose of risperidone Risperdal Consta IM. The nurse teaching this patient about this medication will make which statement?
 
  a. You will experience therapeutic levels of this drug in 1 to 2 weeks.
  b. You will need injections of this drug every 6 weeks.
  c. You will need to take an oral antipsy-chotic drug for 3 weeks.
  d. You probably will not have extrapyra-midal symptoms with this drug.

Question 2

An infant has allergies and often develops a pruritic rash when exposed to allergens. The infant's parents ask the nurse about using a topical antihistamine. What should the nurse tell them?
 
  a. Antihistamines given by this route are not absorbed as well in children.
  b. Applying an antihistamine to the skin can cause toxicity in this age group.
  c. The child will also need oral medication to achieve effective results.
  d. Topical medications have fewer side ef-fects than those given by other routes.

[raenoj]

Answer to Question 1

C
Risperidone given intramuscularly is a depot preparation used for long-term therapy. Significant release of the drug does not occur until 2 to 3 weeks after injection; therefore, patients must take an oral antipsychotic medication until drug levels are raised. Therapeutic levels are reached 4 to 6 weeks after injection. Patients need injections every 2 weeks. With IM dosing, the incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms is substantial.

Answer to Question 2

B
Drug absorption through the skin is more rapid in infants, because their skin is thinner and has greater blood flow; therefore, infants are at increased risk of toxicity from topical drugs. Because of increased drug absorption through the skin, infants should not be given additional drugs via other routes. If a drug is more likely to be absorbed rapidly, it will have more side effects.

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