1. The healthcare provider is considering prescribing a drug for a patient with insomnia.
Which drug category is helpful in promoting sleep among
... [Show More] patients with insomnia?
a. Sedatives
b. ACE inhibitors
c. Atypical antipsychotics
d. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - ANS: A
Sedatives are drugs that have the main purpose of promoting sleep by changing signals
in the CNS and reducing responses to stimulation.
2. You are preparing to give the benzodiazepine Valium to a patient as a premedication
before surgery. The patient asks you how this drug works. What is your best response?
a. "This drug works by binding to receptors acting with GABA to induce sleep." b. "This
drug acts by preventing binding to the benzodiazepine receptors."
c. "This drug acts by inhibiting GABA responses to relax muscles."
d. "This drug acts by binding to opioid receptors." - ANS: A
Benzodiazepines are sedating hypnotic drugs that depress the CNS by binding to
benzodiazepine (BNZ) receptors that act with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
receptors to enhance GABA effects, resulting sleep and muscle relaxation.
3. You are caring for a patient in the clinic setting who has been taking a
benzodiazepine alprazolam (Xanax) for anxiety. What potential problem should you
observe this patient for?
a. Seizure activity b. Dependence
c. Insomnia
d. Anorexia - ANS: B
The benzodiazepines have a higher risk for physical dependence as compared to
nonbenzodiazepines. They also carry a black box warning for CNS depression.
Overdoses are possible and serious.
4. The family of a patient who has been brought to the emergency room suspects the
patient took an accidental overdose of Which drug would you anticipate will be given to
a patient who experienced an overdose of a benzodiazepine?
a. Rifampin
b. Naloxone c. Flumazenil d. Epinephrine - ANS: C
The drug flumazenil (Romazicon) is a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist and is an
antidote used to reverse an overdose of either a benzodiazepine sedative or a
nonbenzodiazepine sedative. For adults, it is given intravenously with an initial dose of
0.2 mg. If there is no response after 45 seconds, the dose can be repeated. After that, it
can be repeated every minute for a total of 4 doses.
5. For which patient would benzodiazepines be contraindicated?...
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