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NURS 6521: Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts

NURS 6521: Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts

NURS 6521: Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts

Pharmacokinetics involves sequential processes, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion that occur in the body following drug administration (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2018). On the other hand, pharmacodynamics is the effect of a particular drug on the body. It includes side effects, physiological processes, and drug reactions. Unique patient features, including sex, age, and health condition, influence the two processes. My focus for this discussion purpose from my experience will be a 48-year-old male with diabetes mellitus Type 2.

Scenario: 48-year-old male with diabetes type 2 who was diagnosed with diabetes since the age of 20 but recently started going into diabetic ketoacidosis frequently. Patients presents with blood glucose of 690. Patient takes multiple medications including Lyrica, Metformin, Atorvastatin, and Lisinopril for hypertension, renal disease, gout, coronary artery disease, and neuropathy. I do not recall all the medications he was on.

Due to the complications of diabetes, these patients are usually prone to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, kidney diseases, vision alterations, among other diseases. Therefore, these patients are usually on many other drugs apart from the ones specified for diabetes mellitus.

Factors affecting pharmacokinetics

Liver metabolizes many drugs but with diabetic there is a decreased CYP 3A4 which is hepatic enzymatic activity and protein levels due to taking other medications for other complications brought about by diabetes (Uehara et al 2017). More often, these patients also experience an increase in glomerular infiltration rate causing excretion concerns related to micro vascular and macro vascular changes and renal function loss (Trevisan & Dodesini, 2017). There is also the effect of distribution due to the process of glycation where albumin has decreased affinity for some fatty acids decreasing efficiency of fatty acid grafted drugs (Gajahi Soudahome et al., 2018). Due to the different drugs that this patient was taking, there was the effect of decreased membrane permeability influenced by insulin induced capillary perfusion affecting absorption (McConell et al., 2020)

Pharmacodynamics

Metformin activates the enzyme adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK) which inhibits enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis in the liver blocking the enzyme pyruvate carboxylase, while stimulating insulin signaling and glucose transport in muscles (Hunter et al., 2018). By blocking this enzyme, lactic acid accumulates causing lactic acidosis. This could happen with high doses of metformin or with patient with decreased renal clearance. This patient takes Lisinopril, ACE inhibitor, which lowers blood pressure by inhibiting the enzymes Angiotensin I and II which constricts blood vessels. Renal function can be decreased with chronic use of ACE inhibitors thus renal dosing is highly advised.

Personalized Care

This patient was seeing different doctors for diabetes, renal disease, and hypertension. Her medications were not revised by these providers hence the complications due to polypharmacy. For her personalized care, I would recommend her medications to be revised by the providers, a goal placed to focus on decreasing A1C, avoiding sedentary lifestyle including diet change, at home glycemic control, improved physical activity, and regular follow ups.

References

Uehara, S., Uno, Y., Nakanishi, K., Ishii, S., Inoue, T., Sasaki, E., & Yamazaki, H. (2017). Marmoset Cytochrome P450 3A4 Ortholog Expressed in Liver and Small-Intestine Tissues Efficiently Metabolizes Midazolam, Alprazolam, Nifedipine, and Testosterone. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 45(5), 457–467. https://doi.org/10.1124/dmd.116.074898

McConell, G. K., Sjøberg, K. A., Ceutz, F., Gliemann, L., Nyberg, M., Hellsten, Y., Frøsig, C., Kiens, B., Wojtaszewski, J. F. P., & Richter, E. A. (2020). Insulin‐induced membrane permeability to glucose in human muscles at rest and following exercise. The Journal of Physiology, 598(2), 303–315. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp278600

Trevisan, R., & Dodesini, A. R. (2017). The Hyperfiltering Kidney in Diabetes. Nephron, 136(4), 277–280. https://doi.org/10.1159/000448183

Gajahi Soudahome, A., Catan, A., Giraud, P., Assouan Kouao, S., Guerin-Dubourg, A., Debussche, X., le Moullec, N., Bourdon, E., Bravo, S. B., Paradela-Dobarro, B., Álvarez, E., Meilhac, O., Rondeau, P., & Couprie, J. (2018). Glycation of human serum albumin impairs binding to the glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue liraglutide. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293(13), 4778–4791. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m117.815274

Hunter, R. W., Hughey, C. C., Lantier, L., Sundelin, E. I., Peggie, M., Zeqiraj, E., Sicheri, F., Jessen, N., Wasserman, D. H., & Sakamoto, K. (2018). Metformin reduces liver glucose production by inhibition of fructose-1-6-bisphosphatase. Nature Medicine, 24(9), 1395–1406. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018

NURS 6521: Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts

In 2011, more than 3.7 billion medication prescriptions were filled in US pharmacies (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2011). With billions of medications administered each year for the treatment and management of various conditions, advanced practice nurses must become aware with popular drug therapies and their impact on patients. The primary concern when prescribing medications is ensuring patient safety. Nurses work more closely with patients than any other health care worker in many clinical settings, making it their obligation to support physicians with this task. As an advanced practice nurse responsible for patient safety, you must take into account the numerous patient characteristics that influence pharmacotherapeutics.

This week, you will investigate the elements that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in patients. You will also look at patient variables that advanced practice nurses must take into account while designing medication therapy plans.

Students will have completed the following tasks at the conclusion of this week:

Examine the variables that influence the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in patients.
Assess patient variables and history to develop tailored plans of care
Understand and apply key pharmacotherapeutic terminologies, concepts, and principles.
Understand and apply important vocabulary, concepts, and principles related to geriatric medication prescribing.

Photo Credit: Daniel Kaesler/EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images

Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.

Required Readings

Arcangelo, V. P., Peterson, A. M., Wilbur, V., & Reinhold, J. A. (Eds.). (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (4th ed.). Ambler, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

  • Chapter 2, “Pharmacokinetic Basis of Therapeutics and Pharmacodynamic Principles” (pp. 17-31)
    This chapter examines concepts related to pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. It also explores patient factors that health care providers consider when prescribing drug therapy to patients.
  • Chapter 3, “Impact of Drug Interactions and Adverse Events on Therapeutics” (pp. 33-51)
    This chapter explains drug-drug, drug-food, drug-herb, and drug-disease interactions. It also reviews patient factors that influence drug interactions and then covers adverse drug reactions.
  • Chapter 4, “Principles of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatrics” (pp. 53-63)
    This chapter explores concepts relating to drug selection, administration, and interaction for pediatric patients. It also compares age-related pharmacokinetic differences in children and adults.
  • Chapter 6, “Principles of Pharmacotherapy in Elderly Patients” (pp. 73-89)
    NURS 6521 Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts
    NURS 6521 Basic Pharmacotherapeutic Concepts

    This chapter describes issues and factors that affect drug therapy for elderly patients. It then explores concepts relating to drug selection, administration, and management for elderly patients.

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American Geriatric Society 2015 Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. (2015). American Geriatrics Society 2015 updated beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. Retrieved on 8/8/2018 from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jgs.13702

This article is an update to the Beers Criteria which includes lists of potentially inappropriate medications to be avoided in older adults as well as newly added criteria that lists select drugs that should be avoided or have their dose adjusted based on the individual’s kidney function and select drug–drug interactions documented to be associated with harms in older adults.

Weitzel, K. W., Elsey, A. E., Langaee, T. Y., Benjamin, B., Nessl, D. R., Obeng, A. W.,…Johnson, J. A. (2014). Clinical pharmacogenetics implementation: Approaches, successes, and challenges. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 0(1): 56–67. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4076109/

Drugs.com. (2012). Retrieved August 22, 2012, from http://www.drugs.com/

This website presents a comprehensive review of prescription and over-the-counter drugs including information on common uses and potential side effects. It also provides updates relating to new drugs on the market, support from health professionals, and a drug-drug interactions checker.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Introduction to advanced pharmacology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

In this media presentation, Dr. Terry Buttaro, Associate Professor of Practice at Simmons School of Nursing and Health Sciences, discusses the importance of pharmacology for the advanced practice nurse.

The following document provides credit for Laureate-produced media within this course:

Credits (PDF)

Optional Resources

The following resources are highly recommended for your professional library. You are encouraged to review these resources each week.

Explain the ethical and legal implications of the scenario you selected on all stakeholders involved, such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and patient’s family.

Describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario you selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state.

Explain two strategies that you, as an advanced practice nurse, would use to guide your decision making in this scenario, including whether you would disclose your error. Be sure to justify your explanation.

Explain the process of writing prescriptions, including strategies to minimize medication errors.

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