Most Common IV Push Meds on Med-Surg

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi there.. I am an orientee on the med-surg floor. Just started.. What are the most commonly ordered IV push meds used on this floor for me to be well-knowledged off? .. consider dilution and compatibility, important things to remember.. I understand that I can look up a med in a drug book when necessary; however, it will really help me to start really knowing the most important ones. Thank you so much. Any IV med book that you recommend?

Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.
I just got off of orientation of med surg/telemetry floor so take my input for what it is worth. I've given IV push lopressor lasix, benedryl, zofran, reglan, dilaudid, haldol, morphine,off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many more but that is what comes to mind for the most part.[/quote']

I always give haldol IM...just my personal preference.

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Specializes in Trauma/MedSurg.

dilaudid, morphine, toradol, zofran, phenergan is usually IV piggyback, protonix, benadryl, ativan, I too work on med/surg. These are def. the most common ones...especially protonix! I love when I see it ordered PO!

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Wow ladies!! Very, very helpful information in a nutshell!! I'm about to be graduating RN school and have heard different things from different people and hospitals. I had the same thoughts that if you dilute it, of course making sure it's compatible, that it's much safer even if it is not required. But I have had lots of people tell me not to unless it requires it...I'm glad to see others have the same thoughts and that it truly does help insure safety for the patient and prolong IV site patency!! Thanks so much for all the advice!!:)

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

I can add to the list.....

Compazine, which by the way is NOT compatible with morphine. It will cause a precipitate if you mix it. Also IV push Nexium, Famotidine (pepcid). We do not push phenergan at all.

More......dexamethasone, methylpredisone, and Fosphenytoin.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I have done more hydralazine than anything else, well, except for life-saving protonix. MS, Ativan, Labatolol, Metoprolol but I'm on tele.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

In our hospital we have to follow unit policy. In my unit we can only push 7 meds, which is not including dilaudid or phenergan or ativan........ sad.......... Check it with your preceptor, and remember to always ask pharmacy if you have any questions about if you should dilute it before administration, how much you should dilute it with, and how fast you can push :)

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

I'm on an Adult Medical floor that takes monitored patients. Our big three are Nexium (I kinda miss running it in as a secondary), Dilaudid (the first pain med everyone seems to order!) and Ativan (usually due to the alcohol withdrawal protocol). When I worked on an actual Medical/Surgical floor, I pushed lots and lots of Lopressor. Our post-op GYN patients received Demerol (something I've never given on the Medical floor!) The only thing I can think of that we can't do is Fentanyl. Obviously some drugs require cardiac monitoring (i.e. Lopressor) and others have horrible BP monitoring requirements (ugh, Hydralazine!)

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Specializes in Float pool for 14 months.

When I worked on med-surg, we couldn't push ativan unless the pt was vented. Dilaudid was a biggie, but we could only push 2mg, anything more a doc or pa had to push. We weren't even allowed to push lopressor, a pa or doc had too. Idk why that was. Even the floats who were acls couldn't do it, even though we could in icu/ccu and in the ed. I suppose every hospital has there own regulations as to what floor can push what. It would be rather time consuming, esp @ night when I worked bc there are only two pas on and one hospitalist.

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corticosteroids

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Specializes in PACU, CARDIAC ICU, TRAUMA, SICU, LTC.

I worked in PACU for 21 years. Best practice for pushing narcotics ex: MS04 10 mgm/ml. Take syringe filled with 9 cc NS, add the 1cc MSO4 (10 mgm). This yields a concentration of 1mgm MS04/1 ml NS. You now can administer small doses, and if your unit permits, you can continue to use the syringe for repeated dosing. One ambulatory surgery center where I worked had a locked box at each bedside that could be accessed by entering a code; that is where the syringe was kept when not in use.

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Specializes in ICU, Emergency Department.

on our floor, the most common IV push meds we see are corticosteroids, pain meds i.e. morphine/dilaudid, ativan from time to time, benadryl from time to time, and lopressor (only if the first dose is given with the patient on a monitor and an intern present; subsequent doses can be given without the monitor but obviously you must check the bp/hr before and after).

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dilaudid, dilaudid, dilaudid!!! I am a very new nurse and I can not tell you how many times I have pushed this drug! Also a good one to know is Ativan. When it is ordered IV push you have to dilute it. A lot of my preceptors asked me what I was doing when I was diluting it in normal saline. When I told them that that is what it says to do in my drug book and not to mention it even says it on the vial its self "dilute before use" They were like, "Oh, I never do that. Whoops!" Make sure you look up IVP meds to know if they have to be diluted, and how fast or slow you can push them and what IVF they are compatible with. Good lucK!

Definitely! I'm a new nurse and on top of everything I'm learning, I leave some time before bed to look up common cardiac meds, antibiotics, IVpush meds and side effects, whether you can/should dilute it (Ie. Benadryl!!), and how fast to give them (Ie. metoprolol IVpush 1 min per mL!!). It makes everything else a little easier having these things down pat. :) Good luck!!

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