Crisis stabilization unit-common medications

[caughtbuckinoff]

Hello! For those of you in acute care/emergency psych facilities, would you mind sharing some of your commonly administered medications, both for emergency treatment, as well as maintenance for the patient's length of stay? I just interviewed with the local CSU and will hopefully be starting next month. I would like to become more familiar with the medication side effects, lab values, etc. (no need to share more than just a name, I'll be researching the rest of the information once I narrow down which meds) before I start administering them. I remember basic ones from nursing school (Halidol, Ativan) but I know there are many more that we never touched on.

I will be working emergency intake and acute care, so if you have an additional pearls of wisdom, I would love to hear them!

[Jmira.BSN.RN]

So what I don't understand about using Geodon in an emergency setting is that #1 have you ever tried reconstituting that stuff? your staff will be getting their brains bashed in while you are shaking the vial for hours and #2 the pharm company really pushed it as a great med because it isn't as sedating. Well news flash folks that is usually one of my goals when ordering emergency IM meds.

Thoe darn vials! Haha and that last sentence had me laughing! Aint that the truth :)