Write a brief Conclusion why you made these decisions and what will be the objective of obtaining an improvement in the condition of this patient .

Decision 1

The PMHNP will administer 10 mg of zyprexa orally at bed time and initiate 230mg of invega sustenna through intramuscular, in addition to 156 mg via the same route on day four. A similar dose will be administered within one months’ time. In addition the PMHNP will administer 10mg of Abfility orally at bed time. Expected outcome for this decision is a 25% decrease in the PANSS score (Stahl, 2013). This decision is also expected to alleviate the patient’s psychotic symptoms and achieve normalcy within one month. A slight weight gain is also expected as the drugs are known to increase weight in patients. Because I don’t select the other decisions, the patient is expected to have faster and noticeable changes in psychotic behavior within two weeks of treatment commencement. 

Decision 2

At this point the PMHNP will decide to continue with use of medications selected in decision 1 (Stahl, 2013). However the PMHNP will instruct the administering nurse to begin intramuscular injections of 300mg of Abfility and continue with 10 mg of the same drug in the morning. At this point, PANSS is expected to decrease by 50 % although the patient will also have noticeable weight gain due to use of invega sustenna (Stahl 2014). Because I don’t select other decisions, the patient is expected to have less cardiovascular drug toxicities and experience reduced risks for adverse drug reactions between Invega sustenna and Haldol Deaconoate. 

Decision 3

The decision at this point is to have the patient continue with Invega Sustenna and provide psychological counseling on the effects of the drugs associated with weight gain. It will be essential to explain to the patient that the weight gain from this drug is minimal in comparison with other drugs (Stahl, 2013). The PMHNP will set an appointment follow up date with the patient after one month duration and refer to the nutritionist and physical activity instructor. The difference between expected outcome in decision 3 and results of the decision is Abfility may not be efficacious for more than a period of 6 months given that it does not bind to D 2 receptors in a similar manner as Invega Sustenna. This will necessitate the PMHNP to change to Abfility Maintena because it is easily tolerated by patients on Abfility. 

Because I don’t select the other decisions, the patent will be able to utilize the same drug for the longest possible duration and optimize on their efficacy prior to switching to other types of medication (Stahl, 2013). Since the patient may not have the mental capacity to participate in the decision making process or make autonomous mental health decisions, it is essential to discuss treatment options with the spouse and explain the importance of adherence to treatment (Stein & Giordano, 2015). In addition, the mental health nurse is required to make those decisions which will benefit the patient and also outweigh the risk for adverse health outcomes. 

References

Stahl, S. M. (2013). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Stahl, S. M. (2014). The prescriber’s guide (5th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Stein, D. J., & Giordano, J. (2015). Global mental health and neuroethics. BMC Medicine, 13(1), 44.  

Schizophrenia Treatment

Decision 1

The PMHNP will administer 10 mg of zyprexa orally at bed time and initiate 230mg of invega sustenna through intramuscular, in addition to 156 mg via the same route on day four. A similar dose will be administered within one months’ time. In addition the PMHNP will administer 10mg of Abfility orally at bed time. Expected outcome for this decision is a 25% decrease in the PANSS score (Stahl, 2013). This decision is also expected to alleviate the patient’s psychotic symptoms and achieve normalcy within one month. A slight weight gain is also expected as the drugs are known to increase weight in patients. Because I don’t select the other decisions, the patient is expected to have faster and noticeable changes in psychotic behavior within two weeks of treatment commencement. 

Decision 2

At this point the PMHNP will decide to continue with use of medications selected in decision 1 (Stahl, 2013). However the PMHNP will instruct the administering nurse to begin intramuscular injections of 300mg of Abfility and continue with 10 mg of the same drug in the morning. At this point, PANSS is expected to decrease by 50 % although the patient will also have noticeable weight gain due to use of invega sustenna (Stahl 2014). Because I don’t select other decisions, the patient is expected to have less cardiovascular drug toxicities and experience reduced risks for adverse drug reactions between Invega sustenna and Haldol Deaconoate. 

Decision 3

The decision at this point is to have the patient continue with Invega Sustenna and provide psychological counseling on the effects of the drugs associated with weight gain. It will be essential to explain to the patient that the weight gain from this drug is minimal in comparison with other drugs (Stahl, 2013). The PMHNP will set an appointment follow up date with the patient after one month duration and refer to the nutritionist and physical activity instructor. The difference between expected outcome in decision 3 and results of the decision is Abfility may not be efficacious for more than a period of 6 months given that it does not bind to D 2 receptors in a similar manner as Invega Sustenna. This will necessitate the PMHNP to change to Abfility Maintena because it is easily tolerated by patients on Abfility. 

Because I don’t select the other decisions, the patent will be able to utilize the same drug for the longest possible duration and optimize on their efficacy prior to switching to other types of medication (Stahl, 2013). Since the patient may not have the mental capacity to participate in the decision making process or make autonomous mental health decisions, it is essential to discuss treatment options with the spouse and explain the importance of adherence to treatment (Stein & Giordano, 2015). In addition, the mental health nurse is required to make those decisions which will benefit the patient and also outweigh the risk for adverse health outcomes. 

References

Stahl, S. M. (2013). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Stahl, S. M. (2014). The prescriber’s guide (5th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Stein, D. J., & Giordano, J. (2015). Global mental health and neuroethics. BMC Medicine, 13(1), 44.