14 Jun Top 10 Drugs All Nurses Should Know
A lot of nursing is medication administration, especially for pain management. There are 10 medications most nurses use in the wards and floors daily that you should be familiar with, including:
- Paracetamol
- Ibuprofen
- Aspirin
- Lisinopril
- Metoprolol
- Albuterol
- Insulin
- Morphine
- Heparin
- Levothyroxine
This post will explain indications, warnings of overdose, and recommended dosages. Read on for the lowdown on the ten most commonly used and prescribed medicines.
Paracetamol
Paracetamol is usually used for mild pain and fever management. The layperson would recognise it as Calpol, Tylenol, or Panadol. Its adverse effects include nausea and abdominal pain but are non-existent in the recommended low doses. A high daily dose also increases systolic BP.
Overdose can cause potentially fatal liver damage. The majority of overdoses are linked to adult suicide attempts, accounting for most of the UK’s overdoses since 2005. ODs result in long and painful illnesses.
Adults should not take over 1000mg more than 4 times in 24 hours.
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory used to relieve mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Taken orally or intravenously, the drug works within an hour. Common side effects include heartburn or a rash. It’s widely known as Advil or Nurofen.
In the event of an overdose, patients may experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches. The usual dose for adults is one or two 200mg tablets or capsules 3 times a day.
Aspirin
Also known as acetylsalicylic acid, Aspirin is used to treat pain, fever, and sometimes, inflammation. In combination with warfarin, aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding. In terms of overdose, acute overdose has quite a low fatality rate, at 2%, while chronic overuse has a much higher rate.
When administered orally for pain, no more than 1 or 2 300mg doses should be taken at a time. A break of at least 4 hours should be taken in between, and no more than 12 tablets or capsules should be taken in 24 hours.
Lisinopril
This ACE inhibitor is used to treat high blood pressure and hypertension, a first-line treatment. It’s also used to prevent kidney problems in people with diabetes. Common side effects include headaches, nausea, and dizziness.
Overdose can cause extreme illness and organ damage, such as renal failure. The dosage depends on your blood pressure and whether you have had cardiac problems recently.
Metoprolol
Metoprolol is a Beta blocker used to treat abnormally high heart rates, such as high blood pressure and chest pain, such as that of coronary heart disease. Usually, it’s taken orally or intravenously. Common side effects include sleeping, feeling tired or faint, and abdominal pain.
Overdose causes dangerously low blood pressure, slow heart rate, electrolyte disorders, seizures, and cardiorespiratory arrest. Maintenance doses are usually 100-400mg a day.
Albuterol
Also known as Salbutamol and sold as Ventolin (among other names), this medication is used to open medium and large parts of the airways. It’s a short-acting medicine used to treat conditions like asthma, COPD, and high blood potassium levels. It’s usually administered with a nebuliser or inhaler, but can also be taken orally or intravenously.
Side effects include anxiety, headache, headache, muscle cramps, and heart palpitations. Overdose is recognised by chest tightness, shallow breathing, wheezing, blurred vision, chest pain, tremors and seizures.
Insulin
Insulin was the first protein to ever be sequenced. It’s a peptide/protein hormone and the main molecule-building hormone of the body and is also responsible for regulating glucose. It’s usually administered by subdermal injection with implements like insulin pens, insulin pumps, and needles.
Overdose can be mild to severe, with severe symptoms including confusion, seizures, difficulty seeing clearly, and unconsciousness.
Morphine
Morphine is an analgesic that can be administered orally, inhaled, transdermally, or with a suppository. It creates better psychological and physical tolerance for pain. It can be used for both acute and chronic pain. It’s a popular drug among the opioid abuse community. Side effects include decreased respiratory effort, vomiting, nausea, and low blood pressure.
Under overdose, asphyxiation and depressed breathing can occur, causing death. Most drug-related deaths are those of opioid users.
Heparin
This drug helps regulate heart rate and aid in heart attack cessation. It’s an anticoagulant typically used in cases like coronary thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Common side effects include pain at the injection site and low blood platelet count. Overdoses can be fatal, especially in those with bleeding disorders like haemophilia. It can be administered intravenously or subdermally.
Levothyroxine
This is a synthetic version of a hormone called thyroxine and is used to treat underactive thyroids. Adverse effects are called overdosing, which can result in heart palpitations, abdominal pain, nausea, anxiousness, confusion, agitation, insomnia, weight loss, and increased appetite. Doses vary from person to person and are prescribed after blood tests.
The above-listed medications play a vital role in healthcare and many a time have saved lives. Nurses, if you think we’ve left out any medications, get in touch with Proximity Healthcare.