Essentials of Pharmacology for Health Professions 7th Edition by Ruth Woodrow,Bruce Colbert ,David Smith

Exercise 7

Katrina Oosterlund is in her 31st week of pregnancy and has developed hypertension, 3+ edema in her ankles, and proteinuria. The OB physician is concerned that she may develop new-onset grand mal seizures related to eclampsia. She is admitted to the hospital and started on IV magnesium sulfate. Katrina is reluctant to start on the IV because she is concerned about the drug magnesium sulfate. The physician explains that the medication is necessary for her condition and will produce an anticonvulsant effect by:
A) Peripheral vasoconstriction
B) An increase in circulatory volume
C) Depressing the CNS and thereby causing cerebral vasodilation
D) The induction of bradycardia and a subsequent reduction in blood pressure