Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 82%
Simulated
A client diagnosed with Illness Anxiety Disorder is prescribed clonazepam for underlying anxiety. Of the following, which is of utmost importance when caring for this client?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
The correct answer is C: Encourage the client to avoid drinking alcohol when taking this medication. Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety, and alcohol can potentiate its sedative effects, leading to excessive sedation, respiratory depression, and impaired cognitive function. It is crucial to educate the client about the risks of combining clonazepam with alcohol to prevent adverse reactions. Administering the medication with food (choice A) may help reduce gastrointestinal side effects but is not as critical as avoiding alcohol. Administering at night (choice B) may reduce daytime sedation but does not address the interaction with alcohol. Assessing smoking history (choice D) is important for overall health but not directly related to the medication-alcohol interaction in this case.