C H A P T E R 2 1
Antidepressant agents
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3.
Adverse effects may limit the usefulness of TCAs
with some people. Care interventions that could
alleviate some of the unpleasant aspects of these
adverse effects include:
a.
always administering the drug when the person
has an empty stomach.
b.
reminding the person not to void before taking
the drug.
c.
increasing the dose to override the adverse
effects.
d.
taking the major portion of the dose at bedtime
to avoid experiencing drowsiness and the
unpleasant anticholinergic effects.
4.
You might question an order for an MAO inhibitor
as a first step in the treatment of depression,
remembering that these drugs are reserved for use in
cases in which there has been no response to other
agents because:
a.
MAO inhibitors can cause hair loss.
b.
MAO inhibitors are associated with potentially
serious drug–food interactions.
c.
MAO inhibitors are mostly recommended for use
in people undergoing surgery.
d.
MAO inhibitors are more expensive than other
agents.
5.
A woman is being treated for depression and is
started on a regimen of
Prozac
(fluoxetine). She calls
you 10 days after the drug therapy has started to
report that nothing has changed and she wants to
try a different drug. You should:
a.
tell her to try sertraline (
Zoloft
) because some
people respond to one SSRI and not another.
b.
ask her to try a few days without the drug to see
whether there is any difference.
c.
add an MAO inhibitor to her drug regimen to get
an increased antidepressant effect.
d.
encourage her to keep taking the drug as
prescribed because it usually takes up to 4 weeks
to see the full antidepressant effect.
6.
The drug of choice for a person with a documented
obsessive–compulsive disorder who is also suffering
from depression and occasional panic disorder
would be:
a.
Cipramil.
b.
Aropax.
c.
Luvox.
d.
Prozac.
7.
Venlafaxine (
Efexor
) is a relatively new
antidepressant that might be very effective for use in
people who:
a.
have proven to be responsive to other
antidepressants.
b.
can tolerate multiple side effects.
c.
are reliable at taking multiple daily dosings.
d.
have not responded to other antidepressants and
would benefit from once-a-day dosing.
8.
Depression is an affective disorder that is:
a.
always precipitated by a specific event.
b.
most common in people with head injuries.
c.
characterised by overwhelming sadness, despair
and hopelessness.
d.
very evident and easy to diagnose in the clinical
setting.
MULTIPLE RESPONSE
Select all that apply.
1.
Depression is a very common affective disorder
that strikes many people. In assessing a person
who might be suffering from depression, the nurse
or midwife would expect to find which of the
following?
a.
lack of energy
b.
hyperactivity
c.
sleep disturbances
d.
libido problems
e.
confusion
f.
decreased reflexes
2.
A person reports that he thinks he is taking an
antidepressant, but he is not sure. In reviewing his
medication history, which of the following drugs
would be considered antidepressants?
a.
tetracyclic drugs
b.
cholinergics
c.
SSRIs
d.
MAO inhibitors
e.
angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
f.
benzodiazepines
