Question

A nurse is reviewing the care plan of a client who is receiving an ACE inhibitor for the management of hypertension. Which of the following client statements should alert the nurse to a possible life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors?

Answer 1

Correct Answers:

"l have been experiencing swelling in my face and difficulty swallowing."

Rationale :

💊 Swelling in the face with difficulty swallowing suggests angioedema, a rare but life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors like lisinopril, enalapril, or captopril.

💊 Angioedema involves rapid swelling of subcutaneous tissues, especially around the lips, tongue, face, and airway, and can quickly lead to airway obstruction.

💊 This symptom requires immediate discontinuation of the ACE inhibitor and urgent medical intervention, often including epinephrine, corticosteroids, and airway support.

💊 Because it directly threatens airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs), angioedema is a medical emergency and must be reported and managed immediately.

💊 Any client on an ACE inhibitor who reports facial swelling, tongue swelling, or difficulty swallowing or breathing must be evaluated for anaphylactoid reaction/angioedema without delay.

"I've noticed that I'm coughing more often since starting the medication."

💊 A dry, persistent cough is a common, non–life-threatening side effect of ACE inhibitors due to increased bradykinin levels.

💊 It is important and often leads to changing therapy, but it is not immediately dangerous like angioedema.

"My mouth feels dry most of the time now."

💊 Dry mouth can occur with many medications and conditions but is not a classic or dangerous ACE-inhibitor adverse effect.

💊 It does not usually signal life-threatening pathology.

"I feel a little lightheaded when I get up too quickly."

💊 This suggests orthostatic hypotension, a common and expected effect when starting or adjusting antihypertensives.

💊 It can be managed with position changes and monitoring, but is less emergent than airway-compromising angioedema.

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Answer 2

Correct Answers:

Anorexia

Rationale :

🟢 Anorexia (loss of appetite) is one of the earliest and most common manifestations of digoxin toxicity, especially in older adults.

🟢 It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort, and may precede more serious cardiac dysrhythmias.

🟢 Recognizing subtle GI symptoms early is crucial because digoxin has a narrow therapeutic index, and toxicity can rapidly progress to life-threatening arrhythmias.

🟢 When anorexia appears in a client taking digoxin, the nurse should suspect elevated serum digoxin levels and anticipate holding the dose and notifying the provider for level assessment.

🟢 Early detection and intervention prevent progression to visual changes (yellow/green halos), confusion, and severe bradyarrhythmias.

Ataxia

🟢 Ataxia (impaired coordination) can occur in severe toxicity or CNS involvement, but it is less classic and less early than GI changes like anorexia.

🟢 In exam contexts, GI symptoms and visual disturbances are favored as hallmark early signs.

Photosensitivity

🟢 Photosensitivity is not a typical adverse effect of digoxin; it is associated with other medications such as tetracyclines or sulfonamides.

🟢 It does not specifically indicate digoxin toxicity.

Jaundice

🟢 Jaundice suggests liver dysfunction or hemolysis, not digoxin toxicity.

🟢 Digoxin primarily affects cardiac conduction and GI/CNS systems, not the hepatobiliary system.

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Answer 3

Correct Answers:

2

Rationale :

✍️Order: Chlorpromazine 50 mg IM

✍️Available: 25 mg/mL

✍️To determine volume, use the formula:

➡️Volume (mL) = Ordered dose (mg) ÷ Stock concentration (mg/mL).

➡️50 mg ÷ 25 mg/mL

✔️ 2 mL.

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Answer 4

Correct Answers:

Administer cooling measures and notify the healthcare provider immediately.

Rationale :

🔥 This client on first-generation antipsychotics has very high fever (40.5°C), severe muscle rigidity, tachycardia, labile BP, and confusion, which are hallmark signs of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

🔥 NMS is a life-threatening emergency characterized by hyperthermia, “lead-pipe” rigidity, autonomic instability, and altered mental status.

🔥 Priority management includes stopping the antipsychotic, initiating aggressive cooling measures, and urgently notifying the provider to start treatments like dantrolene (muscle relaxant) or bromocriptine (dopamine agonist).

🔥 Early, aggressive intervention is essential to prevent complications such as rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, dysrhythmias, and cardiovascular collapse.

🔥 Therefore, the nurse must focus on rapid cooling and immediate provider notification rather than routine comfort or mobility measures.

Encourage early ambulation to prevent complications of immobility and muscle atrophy.

🔥 With severe muscle rigidity and hyperthermia, ambulation is unsafe and does not address the life-threatening pathophysiology of NMS.

🔥 This could increase risk of falls, arrhythmias, or further physiologic stress.

Administer antipyretics like acetaminophen to reduce fever and prevent seizures.

🔥 While antipyretics may help slightly, they do not address the underlying dopamine blockade and muscle rigidity causing hyperthermia in NMS.

🔥 Relying solely on acetaminophen delays definitive treatment and cooling, increasing risk of complications.

Increase oral fluid intake to prevent dehydration and monitor intake and output.

🔥 The client is acutely ill, likely unstable, and may not be able to safely take oral fluids due to confusion or risk of aspiration.

🔥 Fluid management in NMS is important but must occur alongside aggressive cooling and pharmacologic treatment, not as the primary action.

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Answer 5

Correct Answers:

Swelling of the tongue

Rationale :

🧩 Swelling of the tongue is a classic sign of angioedema, a rare but potentially fatal adverse effect of ACE inhibitors like lisinopril.

🧩 Angioedema can quickly compromise the airway, leading to respiratory distress and asphyxiation if untreated.

🧩 This symptom requires immediate reporting, discontinuation of the medication, and emergency evaluation, possibly including epinephrine and airway management.

🧩 Because it involves the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation), it is a higher priority than other common but non-life-threatening side effects.

🧩 Recognizing tongue or facial swelling as an emergency reaction is essential for safe management of clients on ACE inhibitors.

Nasal congestion

🧩 Nasal congestion is a mild, nonspecific symptom and does not typically signal a dangerous reaction to lisinopril.

🧩 It does not threaten the airway or cardiovascular stability.

Nausea

🧩 Nausea can occur with many medications but is not a hallmark or life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors.

🧩 It can usually be managed with supportive care and monitoring.

Dry cough

🧩 A dry, persistent cough is a common adverse effect of ACE inhibitors due to bradykinin accumulation.

🧩 It is uncomfortable and often leads to switching to an ARB, but it is not immediately life-threatening like angioedema.

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Answer 6

Correct Answers:

Diet-controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Rationale :

💎 Metoprolol is a beta-1 adrenergic blocker that can mask the typical symptoms of hypoglycemia, especially tachycardia, in clients with diabetes.

💎 Clients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus who use only diet control might still experience episodes of low blood glucose, particularly if appetite or intake changes during illness.

💎 Because beta-blockers blunt the adrenergic response (shakiness, palpitations), the client may not recognize hypoglycemia until it becomes severe, increasing the risk of neuroglycopenic symptoms such as confusion or fainting.

💎 The nurse should therefore further investigate how well the client's blood glucose is monitored, their history of hypoglycemic episodes, and reinforce teaching about alternative signs of hypoglycemia (e.g., sweating, visual changes).

💎 This makes diet-controlled diabetes a priority safety concern that must be assessed and monitored closely when starting metoprolol therapy.

A history of left-sided heart failure

💎 Metoprolol is actually one of the preferred beta-blockers in carefully titrated doses for clients with chronic stable heart failure, as it reduces myocardial oxygen demand and improves survival.

💎 Rather than being a contraindication, left-sided heart failure is often an indication for beta-blocker therapy when the client is stable and monitored.

Recently treated bilateral pneumonia

💎 A past, successfully treated episode of pneumonia does not represent a specific or major risk with metoprolol use, especially if the client's respiratory status has returned to baseline.

💎 There is no direct, high-risk interaction between resolved pneumonia and beta-blockers that would require investigation over diabetes.

A concurrent prescription for tadalafil

💎 The serious interaction with tadalafil is with nitrates, causing profound hypotension; this risk is not typically associated with beta-blockers alone.

💎 While monitoring blood pressure is still important, tadalafil does not represent the same level of concern with metoprolol as diabetes-related hypoglycemia masking.

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Answer 7

Correct Answers:

Sodium

Rationale :

🟢 Lithium is handled by the kidneys in a way that closely parallels sodium, so changes in sodium intake or losses directly affect lithium levels in the blood.

🟢 If a client consumes too little sodium or experiences sodium loss (vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, diuretics), the kidneys increase reabsorption of lithium, greatly increasing the risk of lithium toxicity.

🟢 Conversely, a sudden large increase in sodium intake can lower lithium levels, reducing its therapeutic effectiveness for bipolar disorder.

🟢 The nurse should emphasize maintaining a consistent, normal sodium intake and avoiding extreme diets or overuse of low-sodium products, which could destabilize lithium levels.

🟢 Teaching about stable fluid and salt balance is essential to prevent neurologic toxicity (tremor, confusion, ataxia) from lithium and keep the drug within its narrow therapeutic range.

Vitamin C

🟢 Vitamin C is not directly involved in lithium excretion or retention, and varying intake does not meaningfully affect serum lithium levels.

🟢 While overall nutrition is important, vitamin C is not the key dietary element that determines lithium safety or effectiveness.

Potassium

🟢 Potassium balance is vital for cardiac and neuromuscular function, but it does not exhibit the same renal handling linkage with lithium as sodium does.

🟢 Changes in potassium intake do not predictably raise or lower lithium levels, so it is not the primary focus of dietary teaching for lithium therapy.

Vitamin K

🟢 Vitamin K is mainly associated with clotting factor synthesis and interactions with warfarin, not with mood stabilizers such as lithium.

🟢 Variations in vitamin K intake will not significantly affect lithium pharmacokinetics or toxicity risk.

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Answer 8

Correct Answers:

Decreased auditory hallucinations

Rationale :

🔷 Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that blocks dopamine and serotonin receptors, leading to a reduction in positive psychotic symptoms.

🔷 An expected therapeutic response is a decrease in auditory hallucinations, as well as fewer delusions and less disorganized thinking in clients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

🔷 Improvement may present as the client reporting fewer voices, less intensity or frequency of the hallucinations, or improved ability to ignore or cope with them.

🔷 Monitoring for this change helps the nurse evaluate whether the medication is achieving its primary antipsychotic effect.

🔷 Over time, decreased hallucinations often lead to better functioning, improved self-care, and enhanced social interaction for the client.

A decrease in resting blood pressure

🔷 While olanzapine can cause orthostatic hypotension, this is an adverse effect, not a desired primary therapeutic outcome.

🔷 A drop in resting blood pressure may actually increase the risk of falls and dizziness, requiring monitoring and possible dose adjustment.

Control of seizure activity

🔷 Olanzapine is not an anticonvulsant and is not prescribed to control or prevent seizures.

🔷 In fact, some antipsychotics can lower the seizure threshold, so seizure disorders must be monitored carefully.

Increased energy level and involvement in activities

🔷 Olanzapine is more likely to cause sedation and weight gain, rather than markedly increasing energy.

🔷 Increased energy and activity are more typically associated with antidepressants or mood stabilizers, not with this antipsychotic’s main expected effect.

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Answer 9

Correct Answers:

Educate the patient to rise slowly from sitting or lying positions to prevent hypotension-related dizziness.

Rationale :

✨ Nitrates cause vasodilation, which lowers systemic vascular resistance and can lead to orthostatic hypotension and dizziness, especially when changing positions quickly.

✨ Educating the patient to rise slowly from lying or sitting allows the cardiovascular system more time to adjust, reducing the risk of sudden drops in blood pressure and fainting.

✨ This intervention directly addresses the complaint of dizziness, a common side effect of nitrates, without stopping necessary antianginal therapy.

✨ It is a key safety teaching point that helps prevent falls and injuries in clients taking nitrates, especially when combined with other cardiovascular agents such as beta-blockers.

✨ By managing side effects safely through positioning strategies, therapy can be continued to effectively control chronic stable angina while protecting the patient from harm.

Instruct the patient to stop beta-blocker therapy immediately

✨ Abruptly stopping a beta-blocker can result in rebound tachycardia, hypertension, and worsened angina or even myocardial infarction.

✨ Changes to beta-blocker therapy must be provider-directed, not initiated by the patient, and do not address nitrate-induced headaches and dizziness specifically.

Advise the patient to increase fluid intake significantly

✨ Excessive fluid intake in a cardiac patient can worsen fluid overload and potentially exacerbate heart failure or hypertension.

✨ While mild hydration is reasonable, simply “increasing fluids” does not directly treat nitrate-induced vasodilatory hypotension and may create new problems.

Recommend discontinuing ranolazine as it commonly causes headaches and hypotension

✨ The scenario does not mention ranolazine as part of the regimen; introducing it here is inaccurate and irrelevant to the problem.

✨ Headaches and dizziness described are classic for nitrate therapy, and the focus should be on managing nitrate side effects, not stopping an unrelated medication.

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Answer 10

Correct Answers:

Avoid consuming large amounts of potassium-rich foods and potassium-containing salt substitutes.

Rationale :

⭐ Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic that blocks aldosterone, leading to retention of potassium and excretion of sodium and water.

⭐ Because potassium is retained, consuming large quantities of potassium-rich foods (bananas, oranges, potatoes) or using potassium-based salt substitutes can cause dangerous hyperkalemia.

⭐ Hyperkalemia can result in life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias, muscle weakness, and paresthesias, so preventing it is a critical teaching priority.

⭐ The nurse should instruct the patient to maintain a moderate, consistent potassium intake and to report symptoms such as palpitations or unusual weakness.

⭐ This teaching helps maximize the benefit of spironolactone in heart failure (reduced fluid overload) while minimizing the risk of electrolyte-related complications.

Increase alcohol intake to enhance diuretic effects

⭐ Alcohol can cause vasodilation, hypotension, and CNS depression, which can be dangerous in patients with heart failure and those on diuretics.

⭐ It does not enhance therapeutic diuresis in a safe way and may instead worsen cardiovascular instability and organ perfusion.

Take the medication at bedtime to reduce daytime dizziness

⭐ Taking spironolactone at bedtime may increase nocturia, disturbing sleep and increasing the risk of nighttime falls when the patient goes to the bathroom.

⭐ The timing of the dose is usually planned earlier in the day; it does not directly prevent the key risk of hyperkalemia.

Stop the medication immediately if muscle cramps or weakness occur without contacting the provider

⭐ Muscle cramps or weakness can signal electrolyte imbalance, including hyperkalemia, and should be reported immediately to the provider, not managed by sudden self-discontinuation.

⭐ Abruptly stopping prescribed heart failure medications without guidance may worsen fluid overload and cardiac function.

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Custom RN Pharmacology-Fall 2025 Exam 4

No.

1 :
A nurse is reviewing the care plan of a client who is receiving an ACE inhibitor for the management of hypertension. Which of the following client statements should alert the nurse to a possible life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors?

2 :
A nurse is assessing an older adult client who is receiving digoxin. The nurse should recognize that which of the following findings is a manifestation of digoxin toxicity?

5 :
A nurse is assessing a client who is taking lisinopril to treat hypertension. Which of the following findings is a priority to report?

6 :
A nurse is reviewing the medical record of a client who has hypertension and a new prescription for metoprolol. Which of the following findings should the nurse investigate further?

7 :
A nurse is teaching a client who has a new prescription for lithium to treat bipolar disorder. The nurse should instruct the client to ensure an adequate intake of which of the following dietary elements?

8 :
A nurse is caring for a client who has a prescription for olanzapine. The nurse should monitor the client for which of the following manifestations as an expected response to this medication?

9 :
A patient with chronic stable angina is prescribed a regimen including a beta-blocker and nitrate. The patient reports frequent headaches and episodes of dizziness after starting nitrates. Which nursing intervention should be prioritized to ensure safe and effective treatment?

10 :
A patient with heart failure is prescribed spironolactone. Which instruction is most important for the nurse to include in the patient teaching to prevent complications?

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Custom RN Pharmacology-Fall 2025 Exam 4

No.

1 : A nurse is reviewing the care plan of a client who is receiving an ACE inhibitor for the management of hypertension. Which of the following client statements should alert the nurse to a possible life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors?

2 : A nurse is assessing an older adult client who is receiving digoxin. The nurse should recognize that which of the following findings is a manifestation of digoxin toxicity?

5 : A nurse is assessing a client who is taking lisinopril to treat hypertension. Which of the following findings is a priority to report?

6 : A nurse is reviewing the medical record of a client who has hypertension and a new prescription for metoprolol. Which of the following findings should the nurse investigate further?

7 : A nurse is teaching a client who has a new prescription for lithium to treat bipolar disorder. The nurse should instruct the client to ensure an adequate intake of which of the following dietary elements?

8 : A nurse is caring for a client who has a prescription for olanzapine. The nurse should monitor the client for which of the following manifestations as an expected response to this medication?

9 : A patient with chronic stable angina is prescribed a regimen including a beta-blocker and nitrate. The patient reports frequent headaches and episodes of dizziness after starting nitrates. Which nursing intervention should be prioritized to ensure safe and effective treatment?

10 : A patient with heart failure is prescribed spironolactone. Which instruction is most important for the nurse to include in the patient teaching to prevent complications?

1 :
A nurse is reviewing the care plan of a client who is receiving an ACE inhibitor for the management of hypertension. Which of the following client statements should alert the nurse to a possible life-threatening adverse effect of ACE inhibitors?

2 :
A nurse is assessing an older adult client who is receiving digoxin. The nurse should recognize that which of the following findings is a manifestation of digoxin toxicity?

5 :
A nurse is assessing a client who is taking lisinopril to treat hypertension. Which of the following findings is a priority to report?

6 :
A nurse is reviewing the medical record of a client who has hypertension and a new prescription for metoprolol. Which of the following findings should the nurse investigate further?

7 :
A nurse is teaching a client who has a new prescription for lithium to treat bipolar disorder. The nurse should instruct the client to ensure an adequate intake of which of the following dietary elements?

8 :
A nurse is caring for a client who has a prescription for olanzapine. The nurse should monitor the client for which of the following manifestations as an expected response to this medication?

9 :
A patient with chronic stable angina is prescribed a regimen including a beta-blocker and nitrate. The patient reports frequent headaches and episodes of dizziness after starting nitrates. Which nursing intervention should be prioritized to ensure safe and effective treatment?

10 :
A patient with heart failure is prescribed spironolactone. Which instruction is most important for the nurse to include in the patient teaching to prevent complications?