Exam 17: Antianxiety Drugs

A patient took a benzodiazepine for 4 weeks but will now change to buspirone (BuSpar) for long-term treatment of anxiety. The benzodiazepine is tapered off as the buspirone is begun. Important information the patient should receive about buspirone is that it:

The nurse would expect a patient with which co-morbid diagnosis to have a magnified response to the usual dose of a benzodiazepine drug?

A patient received one dose of flumazenil (Romazicon). What is the nurse's next action?

Which individual would be most likely to experience a paradoxical reaction to a benzodiazepine drug?

Lorazepam ( Ativan ) reduces anxiety by:

A patient started diazepam (Valium) 5 mg twice daily 6 months ago. Now, the patient requires 10 mg to achieve the same effect. This phenomenon results from:

A health care provider prescribes lorazepam (Ativan) for an anxious older adult. What is the nurse's best action?

The half-life of a benzodiazepine drug is 20 hours for a young adult, but for an older adult it is likely to be:

The teaching plan for a patient beginning buspirone (BuSpar) should include information identifying this drug as a:

A patient has taken clonazepam (Klonopin) for years to manage panic attacks but impulsively stopped the drug. Thirty hours later, the patient comes to the emergency room in distress. What is the nurse's priority action?

The nurse would expect to administer flumazenil (Romazicon) for a patient:

A patient diagnosed with agoraphobia took alprazolam (Xanax) 0.5 mg three times daily for 3 months and then discontinued it. The next day the patient called the nurse reporting insomnia, shakiness, and sweating. The nurse's assessment questions should focus on whether the patient:

A patient in the emergency room is suspected to have an overdose of benzodiazepines. Which assessment findings validate this diagnosis? Select all that apply.

A patient has taken diazepam (Valium) for 1 week for back spasms. The patient complains of "feeling sleepy all the time." The nurse should tell the patient:

A patient had five emergency room visits in the past month and reports, "I feel so nervous. I think I'm having heart attacks." The patient is diagnosed with panic attacks. Which comment by the nurse shows understanding of treatment for panic attacks?

A patient in the emergency room has status epilepticus. The nurse should anticipate administration of:

Which patient has the greatest risk for overdose with a benzodiazepine? A patient who:

An emergency room patient was very anxious after a serious car accident. Lorazepam (Ativan) 2 mg intramuscularly was administered. One hour later, which finding indicates to the nurse that the medication was effective?

Singer Michael Jackson allegedly abused alprazolam (Xanax) and propofol (Diprivan), an anesthetic. Which inference applies?

A patient who has been taking a benzodiazepine for panic attacks is to be started on buspirone (BuSpar). Which instruction should the nurse provide?