A client with diabetic peripheral neuropathy has been taking pregabalin for 4 days.
Which finding indicates to the nurse that the medication is effective?

The correct answer is D. Notify your healthcare provider if you start having abdominal pain.

Choice A rationale:

Exenatide does not act in the same way as insulin. Insulin directly lowers blood glucose levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells, while exenatide is an incretin mimetic that enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion and slows gastric emptying.

Choice B rationale:

Exenatide should be injected within 30 minutes before or after a meal, but this is not the most critical information for discharge instructions.

Choice C rationale:

There are precautions about taking exenatide with other medications, especially those that affect kidney function or interact with exenatide.

Choice D rationale:

Notifying the healthcare provider if abdominal pain starts is crucial because exenatide can cause side effects such as pancreatitis, which presents with severe abdominal pain. Early detection and intervention are essential for patient safety.

Choice A rationale:

Reporting the finding to the healthcare provider is important when the client no longer responds to commands and exhibits a specific response to pain. However, it should not be the first action. The nurse's initial response should be to assess and document the client's neurological status and response to pain to provide accurate information to the healthcare provider.

Choice B rationale:

Documenting the purposeful response to pain is the correct initial action in this scenario. The client's response, which involves pulling the arms inward with elbows and wrists flexed and extending the legs with the toes pointed downward, is known as decerebrate posturing. It is a specific neurological response to painful stimuli and may indicate a brain injury. Documenting this response is crucial for the client's medical record and helps the healthcare provider assess the severity of the neurological injury.

Choice C rationale:

Initiating seizure precautions immediately is not the first action to take in this scenario. While the client's response to pain may resemble posturing seen in seizures, it is more indicative of a neurological injury or dysfunction. Further assessment and evaluation are needed before implementing seizure precautions.

Choice D rationale:

Administering a prescribed PRN analgesic is not the first action to take when the client exhibits decerebrate posturing in response to pain. This response indicates a neurological issue or injury that requires assessment and evaluation. Administering pain medication without a clear understanding of the underlying cause may not be appropriate and could potentially mask important neurological signs.