Diabetes Drugs & Nursing Know-How: Can You Ace This Quiz?

While educating a client starting on a sulfonylurea antidiabetic medication, the client mentions drinking beer nightly and taking daily aspirin for heart attack and stroke prevention. What is the nurse’s best response to address these habits?

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Correct Incorrect Alcohol consumption can lower blood glucose and impair hepatic glucose production. When combined with sulfonylureas, it may cause hypoglycemia and a disulfiram-like reaction.

While educating a client starting on a sulfonylurea antidiabetic medication, the client mentions drinking beer nightly and taking daily aspirin for heart attack and stroke prevention. What is the nurse’s best response to address these habits?

• As long as you only drink two beers and take one aspirin, this should not be a problem
• The aspirin is alright but you need to give up drinking any alcoholic beverages
• Taking alcohol and/or aspirin with a sulfonylurea drug can cause the development of hypoglycemia
• Aspirin and alcohol will cause the stomach to bleed more when on a sulfonylurea drug