A nurse is teaching about levothyroxine with a client who has primary hypothyroidism. Which of the following statements should the nurse use when teaching the client?
Symptoms improve immediately after starting the medication
The medication decreases the overproduction of the thyroid hormone thyroxine
Take this medication until your symptoms are gone and then discontinue
Tremors, nervousness, and insomnia may indicate your dose is too high
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Levothyroxine takes weeks to normalize metabolism in hypothyroidism as T4 converts to T3 gradually, so immediate symptom relief isn’t accurate or expected.
Choice B reason: Levothyroxine supplements, not decreases, thyroxine in hypothyroidism. Decreasing overproduction applies to hyperthyroidism treatments like antithyroid drugs, not this condition.
Choice C reason: Hypothyroidism requires lifelong levothyroxine since the thyroid can’t produce hormone. Stopping when symptoms resolve risks recurrence, making this advice incorrect.
Choice D reason: Excess levothyroxine mimics hyperthyroidism, causing tremors, nervousness, and insomnia from overstimulated metabolism, correctly indicating a need for dose adjustment.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: Salmeterol, a long-acting bronchodilator, opens airways in asthma or COPD but doesn’t dilate coronary arteries or improve cardiac ischemia, targeting lungs instead.
Choice B reason: Aspirin prevents clotting by inhibiting platelet aggregation, reducing ischemia risk, but it doesn’t directly dilate coronary arteries or acutely redirect blood flow.
Choice C reason: Digoxin increases cardiac contractility in heart failure, improving output, but it doesn’t dilate coronary vessels or specifically oxygenate ischemic myocardium.
Choice D reason: Nitroglycerin, a vasodilator, relaxes coronary arteries, increasing blood flow to ischemic areas, relieving angina by enhancing oxygen delivery to the heart muscle.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Radioactive iodine treats hyperthyroidism by destroying thyroid tissue, reducing hormone production. It’s contraindicated in hypothyroidism, where hormone replacement is needed instead.
Choice B reason: Sumatriptan, a serotonin agonist, treats migraines by constricting blood vessels. It has no role in hypothyroidism, which requires thyroid hormone supplementation.
Choice C reason: Levothyroxine replaces deficient thyroid hormone in hypothyroidism, normalizing metabolism by mimicking T4, addressing symptoms like fatigue and weight gain effectively.
Choice D reason: Levofloxacin, an antibiotic, fights bacterial infections but doesn’t address hypothyroidism’s hormonal deficiency, making it irrelevant to this condition’s treatment.
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