A patient is being discharged with a prescription for a benzodiazepine. Which discharge instruction should the nurse give?

Appeared in: AIIMS M.Sc. Nsg Entrance exam-2026

Explanation

The correct instruction is to avoid consuming alcohol while taking a benzodiazepine.
Both alcohol and benzodiazepines are Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants.
When combined, they have an additive or synergistic effect, which significantly increases the risk of severe adverse reactions.
These reactions include profound sedation, life-threatening respiratory depression, coma, and death.
This is the most critical safety instruction to prevent a potentially fatal drug interaction.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: This instruction for 'as needed' (PRN) use is not universally applicable. Many benzodiazepines are prescribed on a fixed schedule to manage chronic conditions like generalized anxiety disorder or seizure disorders.
Option B: This is dangerous advice. Abruptly stopping benzodiazepines after regular use leads to a withdrawal syndrome, which can include rebound anxiety, insomnia, tremors, and potentially life-threatening seizures.
Option D: Doubling a dose significantly increases the risk of overdose and toxicity. This can lead to excessive sedation, confusion, impaired coordination, and severe respiratory depression.

Related Visual

No visual required for this question type.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Patient education and safety for benzodiazepine therapy to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
A core nursing responsibility is patient education, especially for high-risk medications like benzodiazepines, to prevent adverse drug events and ensure patient safety.
Nurses must assess the patient's understanding of the instructions (using teach-back method) before discharge to ensure adherence and prevent complications.
What if the patient asks about taking over-the-counter (OTC) cold medicine? The nurse should advise the patient to consult a pharmacist or doctor, as many cold remedies contain alcohol or other sedating antihistamines that can also interact dangerously with benzodiazepines.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the drug class mentioned in the question: Benzodiazepines are Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants.
Next, analyze each option based on established safety principles for CNS depressants.
Evaluate Option A: Dosing schedules can vary (scheduled vs. PRN), so this is not a universal rule.
Evaluate Option B: Abruptly stopping drugs that cause physical dependence is unsafe. This option suggests doing so, which is incorrect.
Evaluate Option C: Combining two CNS depressants (benzodiazepines and alcohol) is a well-known, life-threatening interaction.
Evaluate Option D: Doubling doses increases overdose risk and is contrary to general medication safety guidelines.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Patient education and safety for benzodiazepine therapy.
Stem keywords: benzodiazepine, discharge instruction, prescription
Lead-in keywords: Which
Clinical cues: A patient being discharged with a new prescription, highlighting the need for primary education.

Question ID

Q2Aiz927aCzHN0wxvAXvzW

Reference Book

E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 p. 212-214

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 10560-10562

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