ATI Skills module : Medication Administration

B. Drug tolerance and dependence  Drug Tolerance to a drug develops as a patient’s physiological response to the medication decreases after repeated administration o Pts who have taken same meds or chemically related substance for period of time o Results in having to take higher doses to produce desired effect o Tolerance prone drugs: opioids, nitrates, benzodiazepines and barbiturates o Usually takes a month or longer to develop  Drug Dependence can be either psychological or physical o Psychological dependence includes intense feelings of craving for a substance  can be a factor in development of addiction o Physical dependence develops when a patient actually needs a drug physiologically to function  If the patient stops taking the drug abruptly, withdrawal symptoms follow  Ex: long-term use of hydrocodone for pain relief.  If the patient stops taking an opioid abruptly, signs of withdrawal such as nausea, irritability, and insomnia may result.  As with tolerance, dependence takes a considerable period to develop. C. Generic and brand Names  generic name of a drug is its noncommercial name o often you will see the generic name printed on a drug label in small type, sometimes in parentheses, under the brand name o contain the same active ingredient in the same dosage as the brandname drug and treat problems with the same effectiveness as the brand-name drug. o An exception is that a few drugs, such as phenytoin, may have different absorption rates...