In order to accurately predict how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates psychotropic medications the nurse must be familiar with a medication’s:

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Rationale for Correct Answer (C - Pharmacokinetics): 1. Pharmacokinetics refers to how the body processes a medication including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. 2. Understanding pharmacokinetics helps predict how a medication will act in the body. 3. It is crucial for determining dosing intervals, potential drug interactions, and individualized therapy. 4. Half-life (A) is only one component of pharmacokinetics, not encompassing the full picture. 5. Side effects (B) are important but do not specifically address how the body interacts with the medication. 6. Therapeutic dosage range (D) is related to dosing but doesn't cover all aspects of pharmacokinetics.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: “These cravings may persist for several months.” This is correct because nicotine withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, can last for several months after quitting smoking. The patient's experience is common and does not indicate a permanent state. A: Incorrect. It is not accurate to say that cravings will never stop, as they typically decrease over time. C: Incorrect. Cravings do not necessarily mean the patient is still using nicotine but rather experiencing withdrawal symptoms. D: Incorrect. Cravings do not indicate that the patient is about to experience withdrawal but rather that they are still in the process of withdrawal.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: The dosage will be reduced by 50%. In this case, the patient has late-stage liver failure, which can impair the metabolism and clearance of lidocaine. Since lidocaine is metabolized in the liver, reducing the dosage by 50% will prevent potential toxicity due to impaired liver function. Incorrect Choices: B: Adding a diuretic to lidocaine is not indicated in this scenario as it does not address the issue of impaired liver function affecting lidocaine metabolism. C: Changing lidocaine to an oral dosage form does not address the issue of impaired liver function and may still lead to toxicity due to altered metabolism. D: Increasing the dosage of lidocaine would only increase the risk of toxicity in a patient with impaired liver function. It is important to reduce the dosage to prevent adverse effects.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Increased ease of breathing. Aminophylline is a bronchodilator used to improve breathing in COPD exacerbations. A therapeutic response would be improved ease of breathing due to bronchodilation. Increased sputum production (A) is not a desired effect. Increased heart rate (B) is a potential side effect of aminophylline, not a therapeutic response. Increased respiratory rate (C) may occur due to improved breathing but is not the primary therapeutic goal.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C because inhalation actually provides rapid access to the general circulation due to the large surface area and rich blood supply in the lungs. A is correct as intravenous administration is the fastest route. B is correct as intramuscular administration necessitates a sterile technique to prevent infection. D is correct as subcutaneous administration can cause local irritation due to the injection site. Thus, C is the incorrect statement as inhalation does not provide slow access to the general circulation.