Questions and Answers | Latest Version
| 2025/2026 | Correct & Verified
What is the goal of using cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with Alzheimer’s disease?
✔✔To slow the progression of cognitive decline
What side effect is commonly seen in patients taking donepezil?
✔✔Nausea and diarrhea due to increased cholinergic activity
Why should patients take donepezil at bedtime?
✔✔To reduce the risk of daytime dizziness or nausea
What is a rare but serious side effect of memantine in Alzheimer’s treatment?
✔✔Confusion or hallucinations
What is a priority safety teaching for a patient newly prescribed a CNS depressant?
✔✔Avoid driving or operating machinery until effects are known
1
, Why must serum drug levels be monitored for phenytoin?
✔✔It has a narrow therapeutic range and can cause toxicity if levels are too high
What is a key adverse effect of lamotrigine that must be reported immediately?
✔✔Skin rash, which could indicate life-threatening Stevens-Johnson syndrome
Why is hydration important when taking certain antiepileptics like topiramate?
✔✔To reduce the risk of kidney stones
What is a long-term concern with using benzodiazepines for seizure control?
✔✔Dependence and withdrawal symptoms
How does ethosuximide help in the treatment of absence seizures?
✔✔It suppresses the neurons in the thalamus responsible for absence seizure activity
Why is folic acid supplementation often necessary for patients on long-term phenytoin?
✔✔Phenytoin can interfere with folic acid metabolism, increasing the risk of deficiency
2