Symptom treatment Flashcards
Fever treatment.
Find underlying cause.
Give paracetamol: 1g 6 hourly.
Examples of stool softeners.
Docusate sodium.
Arachis oil.
Example of bulking agent.
Isphagula husk.
Examples of stimulant laxatives.
Senna.
Bisacodyl.
Examples of osmotic laxatives.
Lactulose.
Phosphate enema.
When are stool softeners used?
In faecal impaction.
Contraindications of bisacodyl and phosphate enema.
Acute abdomen.
What might osmotic laxatives exacerbate?
Bloating.
What might stimulant laxatives exacerbate?
Abdominal pains.
Criteria for treatment of chronic diarrhoea.
Non-infectious.
Negative stool cultures and microscopy.
Treatment for chronic diarrhoea.
Loperamide – 2mg oral up to 3 hourly.
Codeine – 30mg oral up to 6 hourly.
Treating insomnia in hospital.
Always try to deal with environmental factors such as ward position, nurses talking on phones etc. If not:
Zopiclone – 7.5mg oral nightly (3.25mg in elderly).
When is iron treatment justified.
In a severely iron deficient state.
When is treatment with prophylactic iron justified.
Malabsorption conditions. Pregnancy or menorrhagia. Haemophilic conditions. After total or partial gastrectomy. Low birth weight infants.
Available iron treatments.
Oral – should be used unless good reason not to.
Compound.
Parenteral – reserved for when oral therapy has failed.
