Drug challenge

Nursing, Jun 2000 by Gever, Marcy Portnoff

You routinely administer combination drugs...but do you know what's in them? To find out, match each combination of ingredients in Section II with its correct name in Section I.

SECTION I

1. Spec-T (Apothecon)

2. Panafil (Rystan)

3. Primaxin I.V. (Merck)

4. FML-S (Allergen)

5. Fioricet with Codeine (Novartis)

SECTION II

a. sodium sulfacetamide, 10%; fluorometholone, 0.1%

Used to treat conjunctivitis, this prescription ophthalmic suspension must be shaken well before using. Sodium sulfacetamide fights infection and fluorometholone relieves redness and itching.

b. phenylpropanolamine HCl, 10.5 mg; phenylephrine HCl, 5 mg; benzocaine, 10 mg

These over-the-counter lozenges help relieve cold symptoms. Phenylpropanolamine and phenylephrine relieve nasal congestion; benzocaine, a local anesthetic, relieves sore-throat pain. Your patient may use one lozenge every 3 hours as needed but no more than six a day.

c. papain, 10%; urea, 10%; chlorophyllin copper complex, 0.5%

A patient with dermal ulcers may respond to this ointment. The enzyme papain debrides necrotic tissue and promotes healing. Urea dissolves the dead epidermis, and chlorophyll aids healing and controls odor. Teach your patient to clean the wound with 0.9% sodium chloride solution before applying the ointment and not to use hydrogen peroxide, which inactivates papain.

d. butalbitai, 50 mg; acetaminophen, 325 mg; codeine phosphate, 30 mg; caffeine, 40 mg

Indicated for headache pain, this capsule contains an intermediate-acting barbiturate, a nonopioid analgesic, and a narcotic analgesic; caffeine enhances the analgesic effects. Warn your patient that he may feel drowsy or dizzy while taking this drug and not to take more than six capsules in 24 hours.

e. each vial of powder for injection contains: imipenem, 250 mg or 500 mg; cilastatin, 250 mg or 500 mg

This broad-spectrum antibiotic may be used to treat a serious lower respiratory, urinary, or abdominal infection. Imipenem is an antibiotic and cilastatin prevents its breakdown. Cross-sensitivity reactions, although rare, may occur in someone who's sensitive to penicillin.

ANSWERS: 1b, 2c, 3e, 4a, 5d.

Marcy Portnoff Gever, RPh, MEd, author of Drug Challenge, is a contributing editor for Nursing2000.