Patient was educated on how to take Sodium Nitroprusside as follows:
- Take the medication at the same time every day, to avoid forgetting the medication.
- Maintain strict compliance with intake of the medication as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication.
- Do not change the dose on Sodium Nitroprusside without consulting your doctor.
- Take a blood pressure reading always before you take the pill. Maintain a log of every day blood pressure readings.
- If the blood pressure is too low, you can defer taking the medication for that dose. Notify your doctor of the same. Notify your doctor, if more of such occurrences are happening, so that, your medication dose could be revised.
- Notify your doctor, if your blood pressure continues to be high or if your heart rate is being consistently high (more than 100), despite compliance with the medication intake.
- If Sodium Nitroprusside is used in the management of heart failure, notify your doctor regarding any continuing or worsening signs and symptoms of heart failure.
- Sodium Nitroprusside could be used to prevent episodes of angina and chest pain. Any chest pain is an emergency and should be reported immediately. Episodes of mild chest discomfort can occur while using Sodium Nitroprusside. Report this to your doctor and seek medical attention. Do not overdose on Sodium Nitroprusside, to obtain relief from the chest discomfort. Overdosing on this medication could be counterproductive.
- If a dose is missed, it should be taken at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, the missed dose can be skipped. Compensating for the missed dose by taking an extra dose can pose serious risk for an episode of extremely low blood pressure and very high heart rate.
