NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

A patient is scheduled to receive a medication that is an enzyme inducer of the P450 system. What best describes the effect of this medication on the patient?

1. in time, the patient will experience a reduced effect from this medication

2. in time, the patient will experience an increased effect from this medication

3. in time, the patient will experience increased effects from other medications

4. in time, the patient will experience no effect from other medications

The correct answer is: in time, the patient will experience a reduced effect from this medication

When a patient receives a medication that is an enzyme inducer of the P450 system, it means that the medication speeds up the activity of the P450 enzymes in the liver. These enzymes are responsible for metabolizing many medications. By inducing these enzymes, the medication can increase the metabolism and breakdown of other medications that are also metabolized by the P450 system. As a result, the correct answer is A, which states that over time, the patient will experience a reduced effect from this medication. The increased enzyme activity will lead to faster metabolism of the medication itself, causing the patient to require higher doses or more frequent dosing to maintain therapeutic levels. This is known as enzyme induction and can lead to reduced drug effectiveness over time. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the effect of enzyme induction on medication metabolism in the body.