Question

A nurse is teaching a client recovering from addisonian crisis about the need to take fludrocortisone acetate and hydrocortisone at home. Which statement by the client indicates an understanding of the instructions?1. "I'll take my hydrocortisone in the late afternoon, before dinner."

2. "I'll take all of my hydrocortisone in the morning, right after I wake up."
3. "I'll take two-thirds of the dose when I wake up and one-third in the late afternoon."
4. "I'll take the entire dose at bedtime."

Answer 1

RATIONALES (3): Hydrocortisone, a glucocorticoid, should be administered according to a schedule that closely reflects the body's own secretion of this hormone; therefore, two-thirds of the dose of hydrocortisone should be taken in the morning and one-third in the late afternoon. This dosage schedule reduces adverse effects.