Ch 26 Bipolar Disorder Flashcards
A client with bipolar disorder has been taking lithium, and today the client’s serum lithium level is 2.0 mEq/L. What effects would the nurse expect to see?
Serum lithium levels of less than 0.5 mEq/L are rarely therapeutic, and levels of more than 1.5 mEq/L are usually considered toxic. The client would show signs of toxicity with a lithium level of 2.0 mEq/L. Toxic effects of lithium are severe diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness, muscle weakness, and lack of coordination.
A client is exhibiting rapid shifts in mood. The nurse documents this as which of the following?
Mood lability is a term used for rapid shifts in mood that often occur with bipolar disorder.
A client with bipolar disorder has been ordered a medication that is classified as an anticonvulsant. Which drug does the nurse know falls within this class of medications?
Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant with mood-stabilizing effects
Which medication classification is considered first-line drug therapy for bipolar disorder?
Mood Stabilizers
Mood-stabilizing drugs are used to
treat bipolar disorder by stabilizing the client’s mood, preventing or minimizing the highs and lows that characterize bipolar illness, and treating acute episodes of mania
A client has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After teaching the client about the different medication classifications used to help stabilize mood, the nurse determines tha the teaching was successful when the client identifies which class of medications?
Several anticonvulsants traditionally used to treat seizure disorders have proved helpful in stabilizing the moods of people with bipolar illness.
A nurse who works primarily with clients who have bipolar disorder identifies which group of clients as not being candidates to take lithium as treatment?
Lithium interacts with several different medications and foods. Clients who take ACE inhibitors should not take lithium, because the combination can increase the serum lithium level, leading to toxicity and impaired kidney function.
A client with bipolar disorder is receiving lithium therapy. The nurse is reviewing the client’s serum plasma drug levels and determines that the client’s level is therapeutic based on what?
Serum plasma lithium levels should range from 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L. Levels above that suggest toxicity (moderate toxicity for levels 1.5 to 2.5 mEq/L; severe toxicity for levels greater than 2.5 mEq/L).
Administration of lithium affects which of the following electrolytes?
Sodium - Clients should drink adequate water and continue with the usual amount of dietary salt. Having too much salt in the diet because of unusually salty foods or the ingestion of salt-containing antacids can reduce receptor availability for lithium and increase lithium excretion, so that the lithium level is too low to be therapeutic.
A client who has just been prescribed lithium for bipolar disorder is being given education from the nurse about this medication. Which is important for the nurse to include in teaching?
Lithium is a salt, so the interaction between lithium and sodium levels in the body and between lithium level and fluid volume in the body are crucial issues to consider. The higher the sodium levels, the lower the lithium level will be and vice versa.
