The nurse will monitor for myopathy (muscle pain) when a patient is taking which class of antilipemic drugs?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Myopathy, characterized by muscle pain or weakness, is a potential side effect associated with the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins. Common examples of statins include atorvastatin, simvastatin, and rosuvastatin. Patients taking statins should be monitored for any signs or symptoms of myopathy, as it can progress to a more serious condition called rhabdomyolysis, where muscle breakdown products can lead to kidney damage. Monitoring for muscle pain, weakness, and elevated creatine kinase levels is essential to detect and manage myopathy promptly in patients on statin therapy.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Myopathy, characterized by muscle pain or weakness, is a potential side effect associated with the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins. Common examples of statins include atorvastatin, simvastatin, and rosuvastatin. Patients taking statins should be monitored for any signs or symptoms of myopathy, as it can progress to a more serious condition called rhabdomyolysis, where muscle breakdown products can lead to kidney damage. Monitoring for muscle pain, weakness, and elevated creatine kinase levels is essential to detect and manage myopathy promptly in patients on statin therapy.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The fundamental action of drugs that can be used as a substitute for what is lacking in the body falls under the category of Replacement. In medical terms, replacement therapy is a type of treatment that involves replacing a hormone or other important substance that is deficient or lacking in the body. For example, individuals with hypothyroidism are often prescribed levothyroxine as a replacement therapy to make up for the thyroid hormone deficiency in their body. Similarly, insulin is used to replace the deficient insulin in individuals with diabetes. Therefore, when drugs are administered to compensate for a deficiency or lack of a specific substance in the body, they are categorized under the fundamental action of Replacement.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine commonly used as a preanesthetic medication due to its anxiolytic and sedative properties. In patients undergoing liver transplantation, where hepatic function is compromised, drugs that rely on liver metabolism could accumulate and cause excessive central nervous system depression. Lorazepam's key advantage lies in its pharmacokinetic profile: it undergoes glucuronidation, a conjugation process that occurs outside the liver, primarily in the kidneys. This extrahepatic metabolism ensures that its clearance is less affected by liver dysfunction, reducing the risk of prolonged or excessive sedation. Unlike other benzodiazepines that depend heavily on hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes, lorazepam's metabolism is more predictable in such patients, making it a safer choice. Excretion in unchanged form or secretion into the GI tract does not apply, and while it is anxiolytic, it does have CNS depressant effects, ruling out other options. Naloxone reverses opioids, not benzodiazepines.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Carbamazepine induces cytochrome P450 (e.g., CYP3A4), accelerating metabolism of drugs like topiramate, tiagabine, and lamotrigine, reducing their levels and complicating dosing. Levetiracetam, excreted renally with minimal hepatic metabolism, avoids P450 interactions, maintaining stable levels when added to carbamazepine. Zonisamide interacts via induction. Levetiracetam's lack of pharmacokinetic interference, per clinical pharmacology, makes it the safest adjunct, enhancing control without altering carbamazepine's efficacy.