A client who is taking sildenafil 50 mg PO PRN reports experiencing visual changes to the practical nurse (PN). Which instruction should the PN give to the client?

Choice A reason: Explaining the medication’s purpose is important but does not address the inappropriate bedtime dosing. Diuretics increase urination, causing nocturia and sleep disruption. Administering as scheduled without review risks client discomfort, making this choice less appropriate than verifying timing.

Choice B reason: Reviewing the prescription with the charge nurse is critical, as bedtime diuretic administration causes nocturia, disrupting sleep. Diuretics, like hydrochlorothiazide, increase urine production, and morning dosing aligns with daily activity, minimizing nighttime disturbance, ensuring safe and effective administration timing.

Choice C reason: Withholding the medication until the next day delays treatment, risking conditions like edema or hypertension. Consulting the charge nurse allows timely clarification of dosing time, ensuring therapeutic benefits without sleep disruption, making this choice overly cautious and unnecessary.

Choice D reason: Administering the diuretic early without confirmation violates protocol, as the prescription specifies bedtime. Unilateral changes risk errors, and morning dosing requires provider approval. Reviewing with the charge nurse is safer, ensuring alignment with clinical intent while addressing sleep concerns.

Choice A reason: Restlessness, tachycardia, fever, and hypertension suggest serotonin syndrome, a life-threatening paroxetine side effect due to excessive serotonin. Withholding the dose and contacting the provider prevents further serotonin accumulation, allowing urgent assessment and intervention to stabilize the client’s neurological and cardiovascular status.

Choice B reason: A cooling blanket addresses fever but is not the first action for serotonin syndrome. Withholding paroxetine and consulting the provider are critical to stop the syndrome’s progression, as fever is a symptom, not the cause, making this choice secondary to halting the drug.

Choice C reason: Taking the client to a quiet area may reduce stimulation but does not address serotonin syndrome’s physiological cause. Paroxetine’s serotonin excess drives symptoms, requiring drug cessation and medical intervention, not just reassurance, as this condition can rapidly worsen, making this choice inadequate.

Choice D reason: Administering benzodiazepine and acetaminophen is premature without provider guidance, as serotonin syndrome requires specific treatments, like cyproheptadine. Paroxetine must be stopped first, and the provider consulted to confirm diagnosis and manage symptoms, making this choice unsafe and reactive.