Week 13: Chapter 19 Blood Lipids Flashcards
Which group of antihyperlipidemic drugs works best to lower triglycerides?
Fibrates
Which drug is a cholesterol absorption inhibitor?
Ezetimibe
When should you teach a pt to take a fibrate drug?
30 min before meals
What are the most common S/E of nicotinic acid drugs?
Itching and nasal inflammation
An older adult pt who is prescribed atorvastatin (Lipitor) tells you that she is experiencing more muscle aches and states, “Im just getting old” What should you do?
Hold the drug and notify the the prescriber immediately
A pt asks you how emeztimbie (Zetia) lowers blood lipid levels. What is your best response?
They decrease the absorption of cholesterol by the body
A pt is taking a statin drug has elevated liver function tests. What is your best first action?
Hold the drug and notify the prescriber immediately
Which question would you be sure to ask a pt before giving a bile acid sequestrant drug?
Have you experienced any constipation?
A pts LDL level is very high. Which drug and drug dosage would you teach the pt is best to correct the very high LDL level?
simvastatin (Zocor) 5 mg PO every evening
An older adult prescribed atorvastatin (Lipitor) for familial hyperlipidemia tells you that he is having leg cramps. What is your best action?
Hold the drug and notify the prescriber immediately
The out pt prescribed niacin 1 g three times a day experiences flushing and hot flashes when taking this drug. What is your best action?
Instruct the pt to take aspirin 325 mg 15 - 60 min before taking the drug
What action should you take for a pt prescribed niacin (Niacor) who needs dental surgery?
Notify the dental surgeon that the pt is taking niacin on a daily basis
You are providing teaching to a pt who has been prescribed nicotinic acid (Niacor). What information should you be sure to include in the teaching plan?
Nicotinic acid doses are usually started low and gradually increased
What do you teach a woman prescribed niacin (Niacor) who is planning to become pregnant and breastfeed her baby?
This drug should not be taken while breastfeeding
A patient in the clinic was just given a prescription for a lipid-lowering drug by the prescriber and was told not to drink grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice should be avoided with which class of lipid-lowering drugs?
Fibrates
Which type of cholesterol-lowering drug may be prescribed with a cholesterol absorption inhibitor?
Statin
Which statement made by a patient about when he or she takes prescribed colestipol (Colestid) granules indicates a need for further teaching?
“I take it along with breakfast and my morning medications.”
A patient taking a nicotinic acid agent reports episodes of flushing and hot flashes to the nurse. What action does the nurse tell the patient to do to reduce these symptoms? (select all that apply)
- Take an aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) 30 minutes before taking nicotinic acid.
- Take nicotinic acid during or after meals.
Which point must be included in a teaching plan for a diabetic patient who has been prescribed nicotinic acid to lower cholesterol?
“The dosage of your blood glucose control drug may need to be increased.”
A pediatric nurse is caring for a child prescribed a lipid-lowering medication. What lipid-lowering medication can cause intestinal obstructions in children?
Cholestyramine (Questran)
The nurse is performing discharge teaching for a patient who is going to take a statin medication. What symptom, indicating an adverse effect, is most important for the nurse to tell the patient and should be reported immediately to the prescriber?
Brown urine
Brown urine may be one symptom of rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) which is an adverse effect of taking statins.
A patient has been taking statin drugs for several months. What adverse effects should the patient report to their prescriber immediately? (select all that apply)
- General muscle soreness
- Yellowing of the skin
- Light gray or green stools
The nurse is reviewing different classes of lipid-lowering drug. What class works directly on fats in the intestines?
Bile acid sequestrants
Which type of lipid-lowering drug inhibits the production of cholesterol and triglycerides by the body?
Statins
What are the signs of rhabdomyolysis, an adverse effect of statin drugs? (select all that apply)
- Muscle soreness
- Brown-colored urine
- Vomiting
The nurse is giving a cholesterol absorption inhibitor to a patient who is also taking a statin. Which cholesterol absorption inhibitor can be taken with statins, but at least 2 hours before or 4 hours after bile acid sequestrants?
Ezetimbe (Zetia)
A patient prescribed a lipid-lowering drug is being discharged. Which important information is essential for the nurse to teach this patient?
Make positive lifestyle changes.
The nurse is performing an admission assessment on a patient with multiple health problems, including chronic hyperlipidemia. What health problems can be a result of chronic hyperlipidemia? (select all that apply)
Atherosclerosis
Coronary artery disease
Hypertension
Stroke
A patient who has been diagnosed with high cholesterol asks the nurse “besides the foods we eat, from where does our body get cholesterol”? What response by the nurse is correct?
Liver
A patient who has recently become pregnant asks why she must stop taking her prescribed statin drugs. What is your best response?
“Fats are necessary in the development of the fetus.”
A patient with hyperlipidemia asks the nurse what caused it. What causative factors would the nurse tell the patient? (select all that apply)
Poor diet
Genetics
A patient is being discharged with a prescription for a lipid-lowering drug. What class of lipid-lowering drugs may require a daily vitamin supplement to be taken along with them?
Bile acid sequestrants
The nurse is discharging a patient with a prescription for an immediate-release form of niacin (Niacor). What instruction is most important to teach this patient?
“Notify your surgeon or dentist that you are taking Niacor before any surgery or dental work.”
