Question

A client is brought to the emergency department by friends who state, "our friend has been hanging with the wrong crowd. we are worried about drug use." the nurse notes that the client stares blankly and has an unsteady gait, stiff muscles, and eyes that are moving rapidly side to side and up and down. which sign or symptom is most important for the nurse to anticipate

Answer 1

The client symptoms indicate that phencyclidine piperidine (PCP) intoxication.

Breath sounds important to asses with any new client. With PCP the temperature, pulse, blood pressure are also expected to increase not decrease.
Overdose can lead to hyperthermia, hypertensive crisis. The correct symptoms are rigid muscles nystagmus and ataxia which are both horizontal and vertical which indicates probable phencyclidine piperidine (PCP) intoxication.
Another symptom is aggression in all forms. It can take the form of belligerence, assault, and suicidality. The way of preventing them by decreasing stimuli, securing potential injurious objects in the environment. PCP can be used as an adulterant with other drugs.