looking up meds.. what is considered major?

marvelmom · Nov 1, 2014

I'd consider do not crush, black box warnings, common side effects, drug drug/food interactions, take with food, etc. to be of major importance. Know which drugs you need a pulse for. Know which drugs need to be given early in the day. Know which drugs work rapidly and which are long acting. Half life, Duration, and Peak times are also important to know for follow ups.

RunBabyRN · Nov 1, 2014

In addition to what marvelmom posted, it's also good to know adverse effects, anything that could be fatal. Know any major nursing considerations, like what labs/vitals to know before administering. Also good to know if something can/should be taken with meals.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Nov 1, 2014

Good advice above. A lot of med references will bold or italicize life-threatening or very common adverse effects so that those stand out.

SierraBravo · Nov 3, 2014

Consider what the medication is being used for. For example, a patient is prescribed metoprolol 25mg PO q12h. We know that metoprolol is a beta blocker and it is likely being used for hypertension. So what would be important to remember about this drug? Think about the mechanism of action and remember that it is going to not only affect blood pressure but also heart rate. So what is a possible complication of this? The patient could experience hypotension (among other potential side effects).

If you look in a drug reference you will be overwhelmed with potential adverse effects, etc... It's hard to discern what is important and what is not. The reality is that everything is important, but only some of the things are really pertinent to the patient because not every person is going to experience all of the possible side effects listed. Consider the most important ones such as those that affect the cardiovascular and/or respiratory systems. Also, as a nurse, what are you going to do to determine if the medication administered is working? Are you going to do a follow up blood pressure check? Speaking of blood pressure medications, I check a BP EVERY time I administer anything to do with BP regardless of whether or not it's scheduled or prn and whether or not there are hold parameters on the drug (which there should most always be).

RunBabyRN · Nov 3, 2014

Consider what the medication is being used for. For example, a patient is prescribed metoprolol 25mg PO q12h. We know that metoprolol is a beta blocker and it is likely being used for hypertension. So what would be important to remember about this drug? Think about the mechanism of action and remember that it is going to not only affect blood pressure but also heart rate. So what is a possible complication of this? The patient could experience hypotension (among other potential side effects).
If you look in a drug reference you will be overwhelmed with potential adverse effects, etc... It's hard to discern what is important and what is not. The reality is that everything is important, but only some of the things are really pertinent to the patient because not every person is going to experience all of the possible side effects listed. Consider the most important ones such as those that affect the cardiovascular and/or respiratory systems. Also, as a nurse, what are you going to do to determine if the medication administered is working? Are you going to do a follow up blood pressure check? Speaking of blood pressure medications, I check a BP EVERY time I administer anything to do with BP regardless of whether or not it's scheduled or prn and whether or not there are hold parameters on the drug (which there should most always be).

I think it's important to add to this sentence, "...FOR THIS PATIENT." For example, there are medications (not one that comes to mind, but I've seen stuff like this) that might be for headaches, anxiety, bipolar disorder, joint pain, and arrhythmias, with off-label use for phantom limb pain. You'd better know which of these diagnoses pertain to your patient when they ask why they're taking this med! :) I know this doesn't necessarily matter for your exam, but it's VITAL in practice.