Reference no: EM133820021

Case Study from Chapter 39

L.B. is a 55-year-old white female who presents to her family physician's office for a yearly routine physical. Her husband passed away 5 months ago after a 2-year battle with lung cancer. She has three children, two of whom are still in college. Her daughter accompanies her to the doctor's office and says she is concerned about her mother's recent behavior. She explains that her mother has been "sleeping all the time" and has lost 25 lb in the past 2 months without being on a diet. The patient explains that she has become increasingly fatigued and complains of a lack of energy. She no longer has any desire to participate in her lifelong hobbies of painting and photography because of frequent feelings of sadness. L.B.'s medical history is significant for hypothyroidism, hypercholesterolemia, and recently diagnosed hypertension. Her medications are levothyroxine 0.075 mg daily, simvastatin 20 mg daily, hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily, lisinopril 10 mg daily, multivitamins 1 tab daily, and aspirin 81 mg daily. In the office today, L.B.'s blood pressure is 138/88 mm Hg. Address non-prescription and prescription therapy for this patient. What drug class would you prescribe? Provide exact details. Drug name, dose, frequency, route and quantity to dispense in the prescription. Justify your choice. What are the parameters for monitoring success of the therapy? Reflect on the 1) ethical, 2) legal 3) regulatory aspects and 4) cost-effective considerations of prescribing practices in mental health care for the APRN.