Exam 19: Antiseizure Drugs

The nurse is preparing to administer phenytoin to an 80-year-old patient and notes the following order: IVP phenytoin 50 mg. The nurse will perform which action?

A patient has recently begun taking phenytoin (Dilantin) for a seizure disorder. The nurse notes a reddish-brown color to the patient's urine. Which action will the nurse take?

The nurse is preparing to administer phenytoin (Dilantin) to a patient who has a seizure disorder. The nurse notes that the last random serum drug level was 18 mcg/mL. What action will the nurse take?

A parent of a child who has been taking valproic acid (Depakote) for several years calls the clinic to report a recent recurrence of seizures and states that the child is having three or four seizures per week. The nurse will perform which action first?

The nurse is caring for a patient who has been diagnosed with absence seizures. The nurse will anticipate teaching this patient about which antiepileptic medication?

An intubated child is brought to the emergency department while having a seizure that has been progressing for 20 minutes. Which drug will the nurse anticipate administering to this patient first?

A patient has recently begun taking carbamazepine (Tegretol) as an adjunct medication to treat refractory seizures. The patient has a serum carbamazepine level of 18 mcg/mL. Which of the following would be the most appropriate next step?

A female patient who takes phenytoin for epilepsy becomes pregnant. The nurse will notify the patient's provider and will anticipate that the provider will take which action?

A parent expresses concern that a 5-year-old child may develop epilepsy because the child experienced a febrile seizure at age 18 months. What will the nurse tell this parent?

A patient will begin taking the antiepileptic drug ethosuximide (Zarontin). Ethosuximide works by which of the following mechanisms?

The nurse provides teaching for a patient who will begin taking phenytoin. Which statement by the patient indicates understanding of the teaching?

The nurse is caring for a patient who has a seizure disorder being treated with phenytoin. The nurse notes that the patient has reddened gums that bleed when brushing. The nurse recognizes this finding as:

A woman who is pregnant is taking an anticonvulsant medication to treat a seizure disorder. The nurse will ensure that the patient takes which dietary supplement toward the end of her pregnancy?

The nurse is performing a health history on a patient who is ordered to begin therapy with valproic acid (Depakote) to treat epilepsy. Which aspect of the patient's medical history will cause the nurse to be concerned?

A 25-year-old female patient will begin taking phenytoin for epilepsy. The patient tells the nurse she is taking oral contraceptives (OCPs). Which response will the nurse give?

A patient who has epilepsy will begin an anticonvulsant medication. The patient asks the nurse how long the medication will be necessary. How will the nurse respond?

A patient who takes phenytoin reports regular alcohol consumption. The nurse might expect a serum phenytoin level in this patient to be in which range?

The nurse is providing teaching to the parents of a 5-year-old child who will begin taking phenytoin (Dilantin). What information will the nurse include when teaching these parents about their child's medication?

A patient is diagnosed with epilepsy and asks the nurse what may have caused this condition. The nurse explains that epilepsy is most often:

The nurse is preparing to assist with blood collection on a newly admitted patient who has been taking phenytoin for several years. The provider has ordered a complete blood count and liver function tests. Which other blood test will the nurse discuss with the provider?