If a malnourished client is prescribed Losartan, how should the medication dosage be adjusted?

In cases where a malnourished client is prescribed Losartan, the appropriate course of action is to lower the medication dosage. This is largely due to the fact that malnutrition can affect how the body metabolizes drugs. When a patient is malnourished, their physiological and biochemical states may be altered, potentially leading to changes in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

For medications like Losartan, which are used to manage blood pressure and have specific dosing guidelines, adjusting the dosage is crucial to avoid toxicity or adverse effects. A lower dosage helps to ensure that the client receives a safe and effective amount of the medication while taking into account their compromised nutritional status, which may affect their overall health and response to the drug.

This careful adjustment is particularly important, as malnutrition can elevate the risk of complications from medications that are normally well-tolerated in healthier individuals. Therefore, lowering the dosage mitigates these risks, ensuring safer management of blood pressure in this vulnerable population.