A Patient Asks a Primary Care NP Whether Over-The-Counter Drugs

question 7

Multiple Choice

A patient asks a primary care NP whether over-the-counter drugs are safer than prescription drugs.The NP should explain that over-the-counter drugs are:

• A) generally safe when label information is understood and followed.
• B) safer because over-the-counter doses are lower than prescription doses of the same drug.
• C) less safe because they are not well regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• D) not extensively tested, so claims made by manufacturers cannot be substantiated.

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Definitions:

Function Normally

The ability of an organism, system, or mechanism to operate or perform within its expected parameters, without impairment or dysfunction.

DSM-IV-TR

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision; a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association detailing criteria for diagnosing mental disorders.

Axis I

A classification used in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition) referring to clinical disorders, including mood, anxiety, and dissociative disorders.

Clinical Disorders

Health conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.