The nurse concerned about safety encourages a client to stop which medication?
A) Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
B) Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
C) Fexofenadine (Allegra)
D) Loratadine (Claritin)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Traditional antihistamines such as diphenhydramine cross the blood-brain barrier and can produce significant drowsiness. Clients who choose these medications need to exercise extreme caution when driving or doing other activities that involve machinery or other safety concerns. Because newer agents (cetirizine, fexofenadine, and loratadine) do not cross the blood-brain barrier (or do so poorly), they do not cause the drowsiness that limits the use of older medications. Nurses should teach about safety measures and encourage clients to try the newer antihistamines if drowsiness is a problem.

The Nurse Concerned About Safety Encourages a Client to Stop