Drug challenge

Nursing, Sep 2001 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. Fioricet (Novartis)

2. Robitussin A-C (Robins)

3. Benzamycin (Demik)

4. Claritin-D (Schering-Plough)

5. Auralgan (Wyeth-Ayerst)

SECTION II

a. each 5 ml contains: guaifenesin, 100 mg; codeine phosphate, 10 mg

This cough medication contains the expectorant guaifenesin and codeine, an opioid with antitussive action. Warn your patient that it may cause drowsiness, dizziness, and constipation.

b. erythromycin, 3%; benzoyl peroxide, 5%

A topical gel used to treat moderate inflammatory acne, this combination contains the antibiotic erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide to promote skin peeling. Tell your patient to apply it in a very thin layer because too much can dry the skin.

c. each milliliter contains: antipyrine, 54 mg; benzocaine, 14 mg; glycerin, dehydrated to 1 ml

Prescribed to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in acute otitis media, these eardrops contain antipyrine, an analgesic; benzocaine, a local anesthetic; and dehydrated glycerin to draw fluid from the middle ear. Explain to your patient that this drug only relieves pain and doesn't treat the underlying infection.

d. loratadine, 5 or 10 mg; pseudoephedrine sulfate, 120 or 240 mg

These extended-release tablets prescribed to relieve allergy symptoms contain loratadine, a nonsedating antihistamine, and pseudoephedrine, a decongestant. The 5-mg/120-mg tablet is taken every 12 hours, and the 10-mg/240-mg tablet is taken every 24 hours. Make sure your patient knows which form she's taking and how often to take it.

e. acetaminophen, 325 mg; butalbital, 50 mg; caffeine, 40 mg

This combination may be prescribed to relieve moderate headache pain. Acetaminophen is a nonopioid analgesic and caffeine enhances its effects; butalbital, a barbiturate, provides a sedative effect. Tell your patient to take no more than six tablets daily.

Marcy Portnoff Gever, RPh, MEd, author of Drug Challenge, is an independent pharmacist consultant and educator in Voorhees, N.J.