Medications

Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

  • Directly affects the neural and muscular/skeletal system.

  • Used to treat mild pain and fever.

  • Routes:

    • PO

    • Rectal

    • IV: Infuse over 15 minutes

  • Assess overall health status of client and alcohol use before administering. Malnourished patients are at risk of developing problems, along with those who abuse alcohol. Prolonged use increases risk of adverse hepatic and renal affects.

  • Common side effects

    • Constipation, nausea, vomiting

    • Anxiety, fatigue

Diazepam (Valium)

  • Directly affects the neural and muscular/skeletal system.

  • Used to treat anxiety disorders and can be used as a sedative. Also used as a skeletal muscle relaxant.

  • Routes

    • PO

    • Nasal Spray

    • Rectal gel

    • IV: 5mg/mL at a rate of 1-2mg/min

  • Asses for risk of addiction or abuse prior to starting. For geriatric patients, assess the risk of falls and out fall preventions in place. Assess clients BP, respiratory rate, level of consciousness, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and seizure activity.

  • Common Side Effects:

    • Diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting

    • Dizziness, depression, headaches

Hydrocodone (Hysingla ER)

  • Directly affects the neural and muscular/ skeletal systems.

  • Used to manage moderate to severe pain.

  • Routes

    • PO

  • Assess BP, pulse, and reparations before and during therapy. Monitor for respiratory depression. Assess pain prior and after administration. Assess for drug addiction and abuse.

  • Common side effects:

    • Sweating

    • Constipation, nausea,

    • Depression, dizziness

Ketorolac (Sprix)

  • Directly effects the neural and muscular/skeletal systems.

  • Used to treat short term pain management. It is a non-opioid.

  • Routes

    • PO

    • Intranasal

    • Ophthalmic

    • IV: 15-30 mg/mL over at least 50 sec

  • Common side effects

    • Drowsiness

    • Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea

Meloxicam (Mobic)

  • Directly affects the muscular/skeletal system

  • Used to relieve the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It decreases pain and inflammation.

  • Routes

    • PO

  • Assess client for rhinitis, asthma, and urticaria. Assess pain and range of motion prior to administering and 2-3 hours following administrations. Monitor client for fever, rash, facial swelling, and lymphadenopathy. Monitor for blood in stool.

  • Common Side Effects

    • Anemia

    • Abdominal pain, nausea

    • Hypertension

Midazolam (Nayzilam)

  • Directly affects the neural and psych systems

  • Used to treat anxiety and is a sedative. Used to treat seizures

  • Routes

    • PO

    • IV:

      • Undiluted: 1mg/mL or 5mg/mL slowly over 2-5 min

      • Diluted: 0.03-3mg/mL slowly over 2-5 min

  • Assess BP, pulse, and respiration continuously during administration. O2 and resuscitative equipment should be ready and available during IV administration. Assess for addiction risk before starting and during. Informed consent is needed.

  • Common side effects:

    • Nausea, vomiting

    • Drowsiness

    • Suicidal thoughts

Morphine (Kadian, MS Cotin, Duramorph)

  • Directly affects the neural and muscular/skeletal system.

  • Used to treat severe pain and should only be used in opioid tolerant patients.

  • Routes

    • PO

    • Sub-q

    • Rectal

    • Epidural

    • IM

    • IV: Slowly at 2.5/15 mg over 5 minutes

  • Assess type and location of pain before administering and 1 hour after administering. Assess level of consciousness, BP, pulse, and respirations before administering and periodically during. Monitor for respiratory depression. Assess risk for opioid addiction prior to administration.

  • Common Side effects

    • Hypotension

    • Consolidation

    • Confusion

    • Sedation

Prednisone (Rayos)

  • Directly affects the immune system

  • Used to treat chronic diseases that include inflammation, allergies, and autoimmune disorders.

  • Routes

    • PO

    • IM

    • IV

  • Asses involved systems before and periodically during administration, assess blood glucose. You cannot stop Prednisone abruptly because it can cause endocrine issues, you must slowly come off.

  • Common side effects

    • Hyperglycemia, mood swings, acne, headache

Sertraline (Zoloft)

  • Directly affects neural and psych systems

  • Sertraline is an antidepressant and is used to treat major depressive disorder, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, social anxiety disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and generalize anxiety. It does not take immediate effect.

  • Routes

    • PO

  • Asses or suicidal tendencies (may be at highest during the first few weeks), monitor appetite and weight.

  • Common side effects

    • Increased sweating and thirst

    • Diarrhea and nausea

    • Bleeding

    • Suicidal thoughts

Cyanocobalamin (Nascobal)

  • Directly affects the neural and hemat

  • It is used to treat vitamin B12 deficiencies such as pernicious anemia.

  • Routes

    • PO with meals

      • Should not be given orally unless client refuses IM, deep SUBQ, or intranasal

    • IM

    • Deep SUBQ

    • Intranasal

  • Common side effects

    • Itching, rashes

    • Fever, headache

    • Diarrhea and nausea

Docusate Sodium

  • Directly affects the GI system

  • Used as a laxative to soften stool and prevent constipation

  • Routes    

    • PO to prevent constipation

    • Rectal as enema to soften stool

      • Not recommended for clients who have had rectal surgery

  • Assess client for abdominal edema and presence of bowel sounds. Assess client’s usual elimination patters before administering. Assess the color, consistency, and amount of stool produced.

  • Common side effects

    • Abdominal cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting

Ferrous Sulfate

  • Directly affects hemat

  • Used as an antianemic and iron supplement to treat and prevent iron deficiency anemia.

  • Routes

    • PO

  • Assess client’s nutrition status and dietary history to determine possible causes and risk factors for anemia. If needed, use dietary and nutrition info for client teaching. Assess client’s bowel functions for constipation or diarrhea and notify heath care professional if these occur.

  • Common side effects

    • Constipation, dark stools, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting,

    • dizziness, headache

    • May cause teeth staining if it is being taken as a liquid.

Glycerin (Fleet suppository, Pedialax suppository)

  • Directly affects the GI system

  • Used to treat constipation

  • Routes

    • Rectal

  • Assess clients date of last bowel movement and assess abdomen for distention or swelling.

  • Common side effects

    • Diarrhea, nausea

    • Headache

    • Rectal irritation

Metoclopramide (Gimoti, Reglan)

  • Directly affects the neural and GI systems

  • Used to block dopamine receptors in the CNS to stimulate motility of upper GI tract, accelerate gastric emptying, and decrease nausea and vomiting.

  • Routes

    • PO

    • IM

    • Intranasal

    • IV: Slowly over 1-2 minutes

  • Assess client for nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, and bowel sounds before and after administration. Monitor for hypertension, muscle rigidity, altered consciousness, irregular pulse or bp, tachycardia, and diaphoresis and repeat immediately.

  • Common side effects

    • Drowsiness, Dysgeusia, restlessness, anxiety

    • Constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, nausea