30 Drugs for headache 2023
An adult patient is admitted to the hospital with a severe migraine headache. The patient tells the nurse that he has been taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for pain. The nurse unde
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30 Drugs for headache 2023
An adult patient is admitted to the hospital with a severe migraine headache. The patient tells the nurse that he has been taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for pain. The nurse understands that the most appropriate drug for a patient with a severe migraine is which of the following drugs?
a. Ibuprofen (Motrin)
b. Propranolol (Inderal)
c. Sumatriptan (Imitrex)
d. Verapamil (Calan) - Correct Answer ANS: C
Sumatriptan is the medication of choice to abort the severe pain of an actual migraine.
Ibuprofen is used for mild to moderate pain and is not the drug of choice for severe migraine pain.
Propranolol and verapamil are used as preventive therapy for migraines, not to abort the actual pain of a migraine.
A patient is admitted to the emergency department for a severe migraine headache. The patient tells the nurse that she has used Cafergot (ergotamine tartrate and caffeine) for frequent migraine headaches over the past 6 months and has been experiencing numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes. The nurse should further assess the patient for which of the following signs and symptoms? (Select all that apply.)
a. Diminished peripheral pulses
b. Muscle aches
c. Pallor of the extremities
d. Nausea
e. Vomiting - Correct Answer ANS: A, B, C
Chronic use of Cafergot can lead to overdose, which should be suspected in this case because the patient has had frequent episodes of migraines and subsequent numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes. Overdose can cause ischemia secondary to constriction of peripheral arteries and arterioles, which can cause the extremities to become cold, pale, and numb. Muscle pain develops, and gangrene eventually may result.
Nausea and vomiting are side effects, not the effects of a possible overdose of Cafergot.
A nurse is providing community education on headaches. A member of the audience who has a history of migraines asks if a medication is available that will prevent attacks. The nurse's best response would be to identify which medication as preventive therapy for migraines?
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