Drug challenge

Nursing, Nov 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. Lotensin HCT (Novartis)

2. Norgesic Forte (3M Pharmaceuticals)

3. Pepcid Complete (Johnson & Johnson)

4. Kaletra (Abbott)

5. femhrt (Parke-Davis)

SECTION II

a. orphenadrine citrate, 50 mg; aspirin, 770 mg; caffeine, 60 mg

This combination is prescribed to relieve mild to moderate musculoskeletal pain. Orphenadrine is a centrally acting analgesic; aspirin, a nonopioid anti-inflammatory analgesic. Caffeine enhances aspirin's effects. Tell your patient to monitor her response to this medication before driving because it can cause drowsiness and dizziness.

b. benazepril, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg; hydrochlorothiazide, 6.25 mg, 12.5 mg, 25 mg

Indicated for hypertension, this combination contains benazepril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, and hydrochlorothiazide, a thiazide diuretic. Tell your patient to call his primary care provider if he develops a nonproductive persistent cough, which may be an adverse reaction to benazepril.

c. lopinavir, 133.3 mg; ritonavir, 33.3 mg

Prescribed to treat HIV infection, this capsule contains lopina vir, a protease inhibitor, and ritonavir, which inhibits lopinavir metabolism to increase its plasma concentration. Tell your patient to take this medication with food to enhance its absorption.

d. famotidine, 10 mg; calcium carbonate, 800 mg; magnesium hydroxide, 165 mg

Indicated for heartburn, this chewable tablet contains famotidine, a histamine2-receptor antagonist, and the antacids calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Tell your patient to take his other medications 1 hour before or 2 hours after taking this combination to decrease the risk of drug-drug interactions.

e. ethinyl estradiol, 5 mcg; norethindrone acetate, 1 mg Used as hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women and to prevent osteoporosis, this combination contains ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen, and norethindrone, a progestin. Tell your patient she may experience spotting while on it and to notify her health care provider if she does.

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

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