A nurse in a substance abuse clinic is assessing a client who was recently prescribed disulfiram. The patient suddenly stopped taking this medication and is now complaining of severe nausea and vomiting. What should the nurse suspect is likely the cause of the client's distress?
The client is experiencing a common side effect to the medication.
The client consumed alcohol while taking the medication.
The client may have taken an overdose of this medication.
The client is demonstrating an allergic response to this medication.
The Correct Answer is B
A. Disulfiram itself does not usually cause nausea and vomiting unless combined with alcohol.
B. Disulfiram is used as aversion therapy for alcohol dependence. If the client consumes alcohol while on disulfiram, it produces an acetaldehyde reaction causing severe nausea, vomiting, flushing, hypotension, and palpitations.
C. Overdose may cause neurologic or cardiac issues, but the hallmark reaction is linked to alcohol consumption.
D. Allergic reactions would typically involve rash, swelling, or respiratory distress, not severe nausea and vomiting alone.
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Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. This disorder is characterized by sudden, rapid, recurrent motor movements and vocal tics, not slow, writhing movements caused by long-term antipsychotic use.
B. This is a dangerous reduction in white blood cells, typically presenting with fever, sore throat, or infections, not abnormal involuntary movements.
C. Anticholinergic side effects include dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, not the repetitive, involuntary movements seen here.
D. This condition is a late-onset side effect of long-term use of antipsychotics, especially first-generation drugs like fluphenazine. It presents as grimacing, lip smacking, and slow, writhing movements of the neck and shoulders, consistent with the patient’s symptoms.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. Foot tapping and repeatedly writing the same phrase suggest compulsive or stereotypic behavior, not hallucinations.
B. Detachment and overconfidence may indicate personality or mood disturbances, but not hallucinations.
C. Euphoric mood, hyperactivity, and distractibility are signs of mania, not auditory hallucinations.
D. Darting eyes, tilted head, and mumbling to self are classic behaviors seen when a patient is responding to internal stimuli such as auditory hallucinations.
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