Which is an epileptic drug?

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg.Officer-2024

Explanation

Phenytoin is a widely used antiepileptic drug (AED) for treating and preventing seizures.
It is effective for managing focal seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
Its primary mechanism of action is blocking voltage-gated sodium channels in neurons, which stabilizes the cell membrane and prevents the rapid, repetitive firing that causes seizures.
While effective, it is no longer considered a first-line chronic therapy in many cases due to its side effect profile and drug interactions.

Option B: Etomidate is a short-acting intravenous anesthetic agent used for the induction of general anesthesia.
Option C: Rifampicin is a primary antibiotic used in the multi-drug regimen for treating tuberculosis (TB).
Option D: Chloroquine is an antimalarial agent used for the prophylaxis and treatment of malaria.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Pharmacology: Identification and classification of antiepileptic drugs helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses must monitor for signs of phenytoin toxicity, such as nystagmus, ataxia, and confusion, and check therapeutic drug levels (10-20 mcg/mL) to ensure patient safety.
Patient education is critical. Nurses should instruct patients on maintaining meticulous oral hygiene to prevent gingival hyperplasia, a common side effect, and to never stop the medication abruptly.
When administering phenytoin intravenously, it must be given slowly and only with normal saline to prevent cardiovascular collapse and local tissue damage ('purple glove syndrome').

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question from pharmacology, requiring you to identify a drug's classification.
First, identify the core requirement of the question: to find the 'epileptic drug' from the list.
Systematically review each option and recall its primary therapeutic use.
Option A, Phenytoin, is a classic antiepileptic drug.
Option B, Etomidate, is an anesthetic.
Option C, Rifampicin, is an antibiotic for TB.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Pharmacology: Identification and classification of antiepileptic drugs.
Stem keywords: epileptic drug, pharmacology, anticonvulsant
Lead-in keywords: Which is

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E6 Pharmacology Katzung 16e p. 648-650

E6 Pharmacology KD Tripathi Essentials 9e Part 2 pp. 77-79, 79-81

Practise the full UPUMS Nsg.Officer-2024

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.