Final answer:
The likely medication administered for preeclampsia that can cause muscle weakness, edema, and nausea is magnesium sulfate. This medication is used to prevent seizures in severe preeclampsia, and these symptoms can be indicative of magnesium toxicity.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a client was prescribed a medication for preeclampsia and later developed muscle weakness, edema, and nausea, the medication administered was most likely magnesium sulfate. While it is not a diuretic that works on the loop of Henle, magnesium sulfate is a common medication used in severe cases of preeclampsia to prevent seizures, which is part of the eclamptic stage of this condition. Unlike diuretics that work to manage blood pressure by affecting Na+ and Cl- reabsorption, the symptoms described are more consistent with the side effects of magnesium sulfate rather than the effects of a loop diuretic or other antihypertensive medications like nifedipine or indomethacin.
It is essential to monitor patients on magnesium sulfate closely for signs of magnesium toxicity, which can include muscle weakness, nausea, and other symptoms such as respiratory depression and heart block, among others. Edema is not a common side effect of magnesium sulfate but may occur in the context of worsening preeclampsia.