The nurse is caring for a client who arrives with an intentional overdose of nortriptyline. Which information is essential to obtain?
The nurse is caring for a client who arrives with an intentional overdose of nortriptyline. Which information is essential to obtain?
A. The number of pills that were consumed.
[71%]
B. The indication for the medication.
[6%]
C. Previous suicide attempts and methods.
[16%]
D. Circumstances leading up to the overdose.
[6%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Pharmacology
Lesson
Psychiatric Medications
Client Need
Test Plan
Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
Related Topic
Adverse Effects/Contraindications/Side Effects/Interactions
Item Type
Item Type
Application
Explanation
Choice A is correct. Nortriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) used to manage depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Overdoses of tricyclics can be fatal because of their cardiotoxicity. Discerning how many pills were consumed would be very helpful. The priority for this client is to complete a 12-lead electrocardiogram followed by continuous cardiac monitoring.
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. The indication for the medication, previous suicide attempts, and circumstances leading up to the overdose are not priority questions to obtain. The immediate care of this client would not change based on these questions. However, knowing that a client took three pills versus thirty would be quite helpful in determining the severity of the overdose.
Related Videos
2 Key Topics
TCAs
32.1 Psychopharmacology (Medications & Treatments)
Additional Info
Tricyclic antidepressants include nortriptyline, amitriptyline, and imipramine. These medications are utilized in the treatment of depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders. This class of medications possesses significant anticholinergic effects and, therefore, would not be recommended for older adults. Overdose of a TCA is extremely serious because these medications are cardiotoxic.
