NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

A nurse is speaking to a client who is taking sertraline and reports drinking grapefruit juice. The nurse explains that grapefruit juice inhibits an enzyme in the liver that is used to metabolize sertraline. The nurse should recognize that client's risk for which of the following?

1. Altered drug distribution

2. Drug dependence

3. Drug toxicity

4. Reducing drug absorption

The correct answer is: Altered drug distribution

Grapefruit juice inhibits an enzyme in the liver that is used to metabolize sertraline, leading to increased levels of the drug in the bloodstream. This can result in altered drug distribution as the body will not be able to process and distribute the sertraline properly. Altered drug distribution can increase the risk of side effects and toxicity due to higher concentrations of the drug in the body. Therefore, the correct answer is A. Option B (Drug dependence) is incorrect because grapefruit juice's interaction with sertraline does not lead to drug dependence. Option C (Drug toxicity) is tempting but not the best choice as it does not directly address the altered drug distribution that can occur. Option D (Reducing drug absorption) is incorrect since grapefruit juice does not reduce drug absorption but rather affects the metabolism of the drug in the liver.