Question 1

Which patient is a likely candidate for drug therapy for cholesterol reduction?

Accepted Answer

A male patient with a waist circumference greater than 102 cm and a triglyceride level greater than or equal to 1.7 mmol/L is the only patient who has the correct criteria for initiating drug therapy.

Question 2

A patient who has recently started therapy with a statin drug asks the nurse how long it will take for an effect on his serum cholesterol to be seen.Which is the nurse's best response to the patient's question?

Accepted Answer

The maximum extent to which lipid levels are lowered may not occur until 6 to 8 weeks after the start of therapy.

Question 3

A patient is taking a statin drug.What important action should the nurse tell this patient to take?

Accepted Answer

Patients taking a statin drug should have an ophthalmic examination prior to and during therapy because of the drug's adverse effects on vision.

Question 4

Patients who are receiving antilipemic drugs need to be closely monitored for the development of which adverse effect?

Accepted Answer

Antilipemic agents may adversely affect liver function; therefore,liver function studies need to be closely monitored.

Question 5

Ezetimibe (Ezetrol),a newer antilipemic drug,works by doing what?

Accepted Answer

Ezetimibe selectively inhibits the absorption of cholesterol and related sterols in the small intestine.

Question 6

Cholestyramine (Novo-Cholamine)and colestipol (Colestid)are most effective in the treatment of which type of hyperlipoproteinemia?

Accepted Answer

Bile acid sequestrants may be used as primary or adjunct drug therapy in the management of type II (both IIa and IIb)hyperlipoproteinemia.

Question 7

A patient reports that the cholestyramine resin powder (Olestyr)that was started yesterday clumps and sticks to the glass when being mixed.What is the nurse's best suggestion to the patient for mixing this medication for administration?

Accepted Answer

The cholestyramine powder should be mixed thoroughly with food or fluids (at least 120 to 180 mL of fluid).The powder may not mix completely at first,but patients need to be sure to mix the dose as much as possible and then dilute any undissolved portion with additional fluid.

Question 8

A patient is beginning antilipemic therapy with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.What food should the nurse tell the patient about when discussing possible drug-food interactions?

Accepted Answer

Taking HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors with grapefruit juice may cause complications.

Question 9

The nurse should monitor for myopathy (muscle pain)when a patient is taking which class of antilipemic drugs?

Accepted Answer

Myopathy is a clinically important adverse effect that may occur in patients taking HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.The myopathy may progress to a serious condition known as rhabdomyolysis.Patients receiving statin therapy should be advised to immediately report any unexplained muscular pain or discomfort to their health care providers.

Question 10

A patient is receiving an antilipemic drug.The nurse should tell the patient to do what in regard to this medication?

Accepted Answer

Extra servings of raw vegetables,bran,and fruits help to prevent constipation,a possible adverse effect of the medication.

Question 11

Which lipoproteins are indicative of a high risk for developing an atherosclerotic plaque formation?

Accepted Answer

Elevated LDL levels suggests that an individual has a high potential risk for developing an atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Question 12

What should be a patient be told to do to minimize the undesirable adverse effects of nicotinic acid?

Accepted Answer

The adverse effects of nicotinic acid can be minimized by taking small doses of Aspirin with the drug to minimize cutaneous flushing.Adverse effects can also be minimized by starting with a low initial dose and gradually increasing the dose and also by taking the drug with meals."Take the drug with large amounts of fibre" is an incorrect answer.

Question 13

Which are considered positive risk factors for coronary artery disease? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Positive risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD)for which the patient needs to be assessed include the following: (1)male aged 40 years or older or female aged 50 years or older or postmenopausal (Anderson et al.,2013); (2)family history including premature CAD (e.g.,myocardial infarction or sudden death of the father or other male first-degree relative before 55 years of age,or the same for the mother or other female first-degree relative before menopause); (3)cigarette smoking; (4)hypertension with BP higher than 140/90 mm Hg or current antihypertensive drug therapy; (5)a low HDL cholesterol level (lower than 1 mmol/L in men and lower than 1.3 mmol/L in women); and (6)diabetes.

Question 14

A patient is taking gemfibrozil to lower her cholesterol level.
Which adverse effect of this medication should the nurse tell the patient about?

Accepted Answer

Gemfibrozil may cause abdominal discomfort,diarrhea,drowsiness,and dizziness.

Quiz 28: Antilipemic Drugs

Which patient is a likely candidate for drug therapy for cholesterol reduction?

A patient who has recently started therapy with a statin drug asks the nurse how long it will take for an effect on his serum cholesterol to be seen.Which is the nurse's best response to the patient's question?

A patient is taking a statin drug.What important action should the nurse tell this patient to take?

Patients who are receiving antilipemic drugs need to be closely monitored for the development of which adverse effect?

Ezetimibe (Ezetrol) ,a newer antilipemic drug,works by doing what?

Cholestyramine (Novo-Cholamine) and colestipol (Colestid) are most effective in the treatment of which type of hyperlipoproteinemia?

A patient reports that the cholestyramine resin powder (Olestyr) that was started yesterday clumps and sticks to the glass when being mixed.What is the nurse's best suggestion to the patient for mixing this medication for administration?

A patient is beginning antilipemic therapy with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.What food should the nurse tell the patient about when discussing possible drug-food interactions?

The nurse should monitor for myopathy (muscle pain) when a patient is taking which class of antilipemic drugs?

A patient is receiving an antilipemic drug.The nurse should tell the patient to do what in regard to this medication?

Which lipoproteins are indicative of a high risk for developing an atherosclerotic plaque formation?

What should be a patient be told to do to minimize the undesirable adverse effects of nicotinic acid?

Which are considered positive risk factors for coronary artery disease? (Select all that apply.)

A patient is taking gemfibrozil to lower her cholesterol level. Which adverse effect of this medication should the nurse tell the patient about?