A Nursing Student Questions an Instructor Regarding the Order for Fluvoxamine

question 10

Multiple Choice

A nursing student questions an instructor regarding the order for fluvoxamine (Luvox) 300 mg daily for a client diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Which instructor response is most accurate?

• A) High doses of tricyclic medications will be required for effective treatment of OCD.
• B) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) doses, in excess of what is effective for treating depression, may be required for OCD.
• C) The dose of Luvox is low because of the side effect of daytime drowsiness.
• D) The dose of this SSRI is outside the therapeutic range and needs to be questioned.

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Definitions:

Ganglia

Structures containing a collection of nerve cell bodies, typically located outside the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

Synapse

The junction between two neurons or a neuron and a muscle where signal transmission occurs.

Presynaptic Terminal

The end of a nerve fiber where neurotransmitters are released to signal to the next neuron across a synapse.

Synaptic Cleft

The gap between two nerve cells across which neurotransmitters are released to transmit nerve impulses.