All NCLEX Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #73 : Nclex
You are the nurse taking care of a patient in a dermatology practice. The patient is prescribed minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic, for acne vulgaris. When counseling the patient about the side effects of minocycline, you advise the patient which of the following statements?
"You should not wear sunblock when outdoors while using minocycline."
"Avoid prolonged sun exposure while taking minocycline."
"Severe headaches can be safely ignored while using minocycline."
"You cannot take acetaminophen while using minocycline."
"Do not drink apple juice while taking minocycline."
"Avoid prolonged sun exposure while taking minocycline."
The correct answer is "Avoid prolonged sun exposure while taking minocycline."
This question tests your knowledge of a common side effect of the tetracycline antibiotic, minocycline. Minocycline is known to cause phototoxicity as a side effect in some patients, which may increase the risk and/or severity of sunburn in patients taking the medication. As such, patients should be counseled to avoid prolonged sun exposure when taking minocycline, and if they must be exposed to the sun for significant periods of time, to wear sunblock and keep their skin covered as much as possible.
Other side effects of minocycline include upset stomach, diarrhea, tooth discoloration in young children, and rarely, pseudotumor cerebri (severe headache and visual disturbance due to intracranial hypertension). As such, it would be inappropriate to advise a patient to ignore severe headaches while taking minocycline.
Apple juice and acetaminophen are not contraindicated in patients taking minocycline.
Example Question #23 : Side Effects
You are taking care of a patient who requires gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, for a complicated urinary tract infection. Which of the following would you be most concerned with when assessing the patient during his gentamicin course?
Hot/cold sensitivity
Liver function tests
Visual acuity
Hearing and renal function
Hair loss
Hearing and renal function
The correct answer is "Hearing and renal function."
This question tests your knowledge of the significant potential side effects of the aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin. Gentamicin, like most aminoglycosides, carries a risk of ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity. As such, it is very important to assess a patient's hearing function regularly while taking gentamicin, and to follow the patient's BUN/Creatinine, to monitor their renal function while taking gentamicin. In addition, gentamicin dosing is often decided upon via close collaboration with the inpatient pharmacist as they take into account the patient's current dosage and the effect that it has had on the patient's renal function to date.
Gentamicin is not known to significantly influence liver function, hair loss, visual acuity, or hot/cold sensitivity, and therefore these would not be the most important considerations when assessing a patient who is taking gentamicin.
Example Question #81 : Nclex
You are the nurse taking care of a patient who is started on trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for a urinary tract infection. When counseling the patient about possible side effects, you offer which of the following statements?
"If you notice a skin rash, please call your physician immediately, and if nobody answers, go to the nearest emergency department."
"Do not eat bananas while taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole."
"Avoid contact sports while taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole."
"Do not operative heavy machinery or motor vehicles while taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole."
"Do not take fish oil while taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole."
"If you notice a skin rash, please call your physician immediately, and if nobody answers, go to the nearest emergency department."
The correct answer is "If you notice a skin rash, please call your physician immediately, and if nobody answers, go to the nearest emergency department."
This question tests your knowledge of the side effects of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, a sulfa antibiotic. This medication has a number of uses, and is frequently used to treat urinary tract infections, as in this patient. A rare, but potentially fatal side effect of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole is a severe skin rash called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. This rash results in death of the cells of the epidermal skin layer, and results in their separation from the dermal skin layer. It occurs for a handful of reasons, but most commonly is a hypersensitivity reaction in the skin and mucus membranes to medications, such as trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or anti-epileptics. It is a true medical emergency. Thus, if any patient taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole experiences a new skin rash, they should call their prescribing physician immediately, and if no one answers, they should proceed to the nearest emergency room.
Neither fish oil, nor banana consumption are contraindicated in patients taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole does not typically have any appreciable effects on one's ability to operate heavy machinery, motor vehicles, or play contact sports.
Example Question #81 : Nclex
You are the nurse taking care of a patient with intractable back pain. You are about to administer a dose of oxycodone and are describing possible side effects to the patient. Which of the following common side effects should you warn the patient about?
Constipation
Serotonin syndrome
Blindness
Tinnitus
Headache
Constipation
The correct answer is "constipation," as constipation is a very common side effect associated with use of opioid medications, such as oxycodone, especially in patients who have not been frequently treated with opioids in the past. As such, patients are often advised ahead of time about the possibility this side effect and may be started concurrently on stool softeners and colonic motility agents, such as senna and/or docusate.
Blindness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), headache, and serotonin syndrome all are not known to be associated with use of opioid medications, like oxycodone.
Example Question #82 : Nclex
You are the nurse taking care of a patient with severe hip pain that is unresponsive to acetaminophen and NSAIDs. You are prepare a dose of hydromorphone and describe potential side effects to the patient. Which of the following side effects should you warn the patient about?
Hair loss
Pharyngitis
Pruritis
Foot pain
Diarrhea
Pruritis
The correct answer is "pruritis." Pruritis, or itching, is a fairly common side effect of opioid medication use, and hydromorphone, also known as Dilaudid, is a potent opioid. As such, patients should be advised of this potential side effect prior to initiation of therapy, and should be advised to inform the nursing or medical care team if they experience pruritis, as dosing can be adjusted, and/or additional medications may be added to control the itchiness.
Neither hair loss, foot pain, pharyngitis, nor diarrhea are side effects known to be associated with opioid use.
Example Question #83 : Nclex
You are the nurse in a primary care clinic taking care of a 26-year old female with a urinary tract infection. You are counseling her about taking her antibiotic, cephalexin. You warn her that a common side effect is which of the following?
Diarrhea
Pharyngitis
Necrotizing skin rash
Hair loss
Headache
Diarrhea
The correct answer is "diarrhea." Diarrhea is a common side effect associated with antibiotic use, including cephalexin. This diarrhea is typically self-limited and resolves within the first day or two of administration. Sometimes patients are advised to take a probiotic or consume yogurt when starting a new antibiotic if they experienced diarrhea when starting antibiotics in the past.
Neither headaches, hair loss, pharyngitis, nor necrotizing skin rash are known common side effects of cephalexin use.
Example Question #84 : Nclex
You are the nurse in a dermatology clinic taking care of a 22-year old female with severe nodular acne. She is going to start isotretinoin therapy after this appointment. She should be strictly advised to avoid which of the following?
Taking NSAID's
Drinking juices
Pregnancy
Eating grain products
Eating bananas
Pregnancy
The correct answer is "pregnancy." Patients initiating isotretinoin therapy should all be strictly advised to avoid becoming pregnant, and must absolutely not be started on isotretinoin therapy if they are actively pregnant. Isotretinoin is a potent teratogenic agent, and could cause devastating effects to a developing fetus, including but not limited to termination of the pregnancy. Any female patient who is going to start isotretinoin therapy must be tested for pregnancy immediately prior to therapy and repeatedly throughout treatment.
There is no known significant interaction between isotretinoin and NSAID use. Likewise, there is no reason why a patient on isotretinoin must avoid bananas, grains, or juices.