A patient in a rehabilitation center is beginning to experience opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Which drug does the nurse expect to administer as part of the treatment?
disulfiram.
betalol.
methadone.
diazepam.
The Correct Answer is C
This question focuses on the pharmacological management of opioid withdrawal. It requires identifying the use of long-acting opioid agonists, which provide a controlled, stable effect on the nervous system, helping to suppress withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings while minimizing the potential for intoxication.
Choice A rationale
Disulfiram is a medication used to treat alcohol use disorder. It works by causing severe adverse reactions if the patient consumes alcohol. It has no pharmacological role in managing opioid withdrawal symptoms and would be entirely ineffective for this purpose.
Choice B rationale
Betalol is not a recognized medication used for managing opioid withdrawal. Medications for withdrawal are selected for their ability to interact with opioid receptors or mitigate the autonomic nervous system hyper-arousal that occurs during the process of opioid cessation in patients.
Choice C rationale
Methadone is a long-acting synthetic opioid agonist used to manage opioid withdrawal and dependence. It binds to the same receptors as heroin or morphine but has a slower onset and longer duration, helping to prevent withdrawal while reducing illicit drug cravings.
Choice D rationale
Diazepam is a benzodiazepine used for anxiety or muscle spasms. While it may sometimes be used to manage some withdrawal symptoms, methadone is the specific pharmacological intervention used for opioid withdrawal because it directly targets the underlying neurochemical dependence on opioids.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
This question addresses safe medication administration in patients with mechanical bowel obstruction. It requires applying knowledge of gastrointestinal motility to identify agents that are strictly contraindicated, as stimulating peristalsis against a physical blockage can cause severe bowel distension, pain, or potentially life-threatening perforation.
Choice A rationale
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen may cause gastric irritation or ulcers, but they do not actively stimulate intestinal peristalsis. While used with caution in some patients, they are not strictly contraindicated in the same way as motility-enhancing agents during obstruction.
Choice B rationale
Zolpidem is a hypnotic agent that works on the central nervous system to induce sleep. It does not have a pharmacological effect on intestinal motility and is not contraindicated in patients diagnosed with a small bowel obstruction during their hospital stay.
Choice C rationale
Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor used to decrease gastric acid secretion. It does not influence the motility of the intestinal tract and is not contraindicated in the management of a patient diagnosed with a mechanical small bowel obstruction.
Choice D rationale
Bisacodyl is a stimulant laxative that works by directly increasing peristalsis in the colon and small intestine. Administering a stimulant laxative to a patient with a mechanical bowel obstruction is contraindicated because it can cause perforation, severe pain, and emergency complications.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
This question requires classifying medication administration errors based on the "Rights of Medication Administration.”. It asks to identify the specific error category when a medication is administered beyond the prescribed duration, which directly impacts the patient's pharmacological safety and systemic anticoagulant levels.
Choice A rationale
The route of administration refers to how the drug enters the body, such as intravenous, oral, or subcutaneous. The error in this scenario is related to the timing of the infusion, not the physical pathway used for delivery.
Choice B rationale
The wrong drug error occurs when a patient receives a medication different from the one prescribed by the provider. The heparin infusion in this scenario is the correct medication, but it was administered for longer than the prescribed duration.
Choice C rationale
A wrong dose error occurs when the amount of medication administered is not what was ordered. While the patient received an extra total dose of heparin, the error is fundamentally categorized as a timing issue because it was stopped late.
Choice D rationale
The wrong time error occurs when a medication is administered outside the prescribed time interval or is not discontinued at the designated time. Since the infusion was not stopped as ordered at 1000, it is classified as a timing error.
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