1. The patient has signs and symptoms of Addisonian crisis, what is thepriority?: Answer Wash hands and maintain a calm environment. to prevent infection and avoid stress. The patient cannot cope with stress because corticosteroids cannot be produced, so the nurse should maintain a calm environment. 2. Addison's disease: Answer Decreased production of corticosteroids 3. Addisonian crisis treatment: Answer 1. 0.9% normal saline and dextrose (reverse hypotension) 2. IV methylprednisolone (after hypotension is corrected) 4. "I should stop taking my medications because they caused Cushing's syndrome." What do you do?: Answer This statement indicates the patient needs furtherteaching because even though corticosteroids cause Cushing's syndrome, the patient should not abruptly stop taking this medication as it could cause Addisoniancrisis. 5. Corticosteroid education: Answer - take w food - do NOT stop abruptly - restrict Na+ (corticosteroids increase Na+) - high protein diet - may cause high BG (watch for diabetes) - recognize the need to increase dosage in times of stress - see an eye specialist yearly (watch for cataract)