ABSTRACT
Lovastatin is a new drug that has become popular for the treatment of patients with hyperlipidemias. Rhabdomyolysis is a well-documented and potentially dangerous side effect of lovastatin therapy. Critical care nurses should be aware of the symptoms and treatment of rhabdomyolysis. Patients receiving lovastatin should be instructed to report muscle pain or weakness and dark urine immediately. It should be determined whether patients are at risk for development of rhabdomyolysis from other causes so that lovastatin can be withheld. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent serious complications in patients with lovastatin-induced rhabdomyolysis.
Subject(s)
Lovastatin/adverse effects , Rhabdomyolysis/chemically induced , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Rhabdomyolysis/diagnosisABSTRACT
Streptomycin is an effective drug for the treatment of tuberculosis. It is currently recommended for use only by the intramuscular route. This method of drug delivery is accompanied by considerable pain which is unacceptable to many patients. With the advent of many improvements in intravenous therapy that have occurred in the past 40 years, reevaluation of the intravenous use of this drug is warranted. We describe the short-term use of intravenous streptomycin in four patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.
Subject(s)
Streptomycin/administration & dosage , Adult , Humans , Injections, Intravenous , Male , Middle Aged , Streptomycin/therapeutic use , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/drug therapySubject(s)
Parenteral Nutrition/adverse effects , Phenytoin/metabolism , Absorption , Adult , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The pharmacokinetic disposition of theophylline after a single 10mg/kg intravenous dose of aminophylline was evaluated in six rabbits. Three then received rifampin (50mg/kg) a day for 14 days and the disposition of theophylline was re-evaluated in all six rabbits after another 10mg/kg aminophylline dose. The mean theophylline half life before rifampin treatment of 5.11 +/- 0.71 hrs was not different (p greater than 0.10) from the half life of 4.54 +/- 0.71 hrs after treatment with rifampin. In the non-rifampin treated rabbits, the initial mean theophylline half life of 4.78 +/- 1.05 was not different p greater than 0.80) from the half life of 4.94 +/- 1.92 hrs after fourteen days. No significant alterations in clearance or area under the curve were noted for either group. Power analysis indicated that three rabbits were sufficient to detect at least a 25% change in the parameters as being significant (p less than 0.05).
