A client has just been prescribed prednisone.

Which of the following assessment findings could be attributed to this medication?

Choice A rationale
When a patient is administering both regular insulin and NPH insulin, it’s important to draw up the regular insulin first. This is because regular insulin is clear and NPH insulin is cloudy. If the NPH (cloudy) insulin were drawn up into the syringe first, it could contaminate the regular (clear) insulin when drawing it up second. This could affect the action of the regular insulin, which is meant to be fast-acting.
Choice B rationale
Mixing insulins in a vial before drawing them up is not recommended. This could lead to inaccurate dosing and potential contamination of one or both vials. It’s safer and more accurate to draw up each type of insulin separately into the syringe.
Choice C rationale
While it’s possible to administer insulin using separate syringes, it’s usually not necessary and can be more cumbersome for the patient. As long as the patient is careful to avoid contaminating the insulins and to draw them up in the correct order (regular before NPH), they can be administered together in the same syringe.
Choice D rationale
Drawing up the NPH insulin last is not correct. As mentioned earlier, the regular insulin should be drawn up first to avoid contaminating it with the NPH insulin.

Choice A rationale
Prednisone is a corticosteroid, and one of its effects can be fluid retention, which can lead to an increase in blood pressure. Therefore, lowered blood pressure is not typically associated with prednisone use.
Choice B rationale
Abdominal distention can be a side effect of prednisone. This can occur due to fluid retention or increased appetite, both of which can be effects of prednisone.
Choice C rationale
Prednisone can actually cause an increase in blood glucose levels, not a reduction. This is because prednisone can stimulate the liver to release extra glucose and can also make body tissues less sensitive to insulin.
Choice D rationale
Weight gain, not weight loss, is a common side effect of prednisone. This can occur due to increased appetite and fluid retention.