The 7-year-old child is being evaluated for attention deficit or learning disability. The child’s teachers report a lack of attention to detail and an inability to follow direction. The child’s parents report issues at home, too – not doing what is asked and not remembering what has been said. While being evaluated, the child begins to blink rapidly for 20 seconds. Once the episode ends, the child does not remember what happened or the purpose of the appointment. The nurse prepares education for the parents about which medication?

Question

The 7-year-old child is being evaluated for attention deficit or learning disability. The child&rsquo;s teachers report a lack of attention to detail and an inability to follow direction. The child&rsquo;s parents report issues at home, too &ndash; not doing what is asked and not remembering what has been said. While being evaluated, the child begins to blink rapidly for 20 seconds. Once the episode ends, the child does not remember what happened or the purpose of the appointment. The nurse prepares education for the parents about which medication?

Accepted Answer

Ethosuximide. The child is exhibiting symptoms of absence seizures, which is treated with ethosuximide (first line therapy). Valproate and lamotrigine are second line therapies. Phenytoin is not effective in treating absence seizures.

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