Week 7 Discussion/Assignment: Patient Medication Guide

This week, you will create a Medication Study Guide to share with your peers. This guide is intended to be a useful learning tool for you to use as you prepare for your clinical courses.

You will be assigned one of the following medications to create your guide: 

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY Learning Resources/ Readings

• Goldin, D. S. (2023). Fast facts for psychopharmacology for nurse practitioners. Springer Publishing.
• Stahl, S. M. (2021). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  • Chapter 4, “Psychosis Schizophrenia, and the Neurotransmitter Networks Dopamine, Serotonin, and Glutamate” (pp. 71–158)
  • Chapter 5, “Targeting Dopamine and Serotonin Receptors for Psychosis, Mood, and Beyond: So-Called ‘Antipsychotics'” (pp.  159-243)
• American Psychiatric Association (2020). The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/Clinical%20Practice%20Guidelines/APA-Draft-Schizophrenia-Treatment-Guideline.pdf
• Clozapine REMS (2023). What is the clozapine REMS?  https://www.newclozapinerems.com/home#
• Utah State University. (n.d.). Creating study guides. https://www.usu.edu/academic-support/test/creating_study_guides
• Drugs.com. (2023). https://www.drugs.com/
• Note: Please use the following resource to check the most up-to-date box warnings, FDA approvals and indications, recommendations for follow-up evaluations, changes, etc.
• Antipsychotic Medications
  Note: Utilize the following medication table to familiarize yourself with the medications aligned with the topics presented this week.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Identify your assigned psychotropic medication agent.
• Review this week’s Learning Resources, including the medication resources indicated for this week.
• Reflect on the psychopharmacologic treatments you might recommend for the assessment and treatment of vulnerable patient populations requiring antidepressant therapy.

The Assignment

Create a 3- to 4-page (excluding visual elements) Medication Study Guide for your assigned psychotropic medication agents that may be utilized by you and colleagues for study. Your medication guide should be in the form of an outline and should include a title page, citations, and references. You should incorporate visual elements, such as concept maps, charts, diagrams, images, color coding, mnemonics, and/or flashcards. Be creative!

Note: Your Medication Study Guide should not be in the format of an APA paper.

Also Note: Your guide should be informed by the FDA-Approved and Evidenced-Based, Clinical Practice Guidelines Research.

Areas of importance that you should address—but are not limited to—include:

• Title page
• Description of the psychopharmacological medication agent, including brand and generic names, as well as appropriate FDA indication uses
• Any supporting, valid, and reliable research for non-FDA uses
• Drug classification
• The medication mechanism of action
• The medication pharmacokinetics
• The medication pharmacodynamics
• Appropriate dosing, administration route, and any considerations for dosing alterations
• Considerations of use and dosing in specific specialty populations, such as children, adolescents, elderly, pregnant people, those exhibiting suicidal behaviors, etc.
• Definition of half-life, why half-life is important, and the half-life for your assigned medication 
• Side effects/adverse reactions potential
• Discuss clinical concerns with EPS and Tardive Dyskinesia
  Note: Be sure to include screening tools that would be utilized.
• Contraindications for use including significant drug to drug interactions
• Overdose considerations
• Diagnostics and labs monitoring comorbidities considerations
• Legal, ethical, and social considerations
• Pertinent patient education considerations
• References page

Support your rationale with a minimum of three (3) academic resources.

Note: While you may use the course text to support your rationale, it will not count toward the resource requirement. You should be utilizing primary and secondary literature.

By Day 7 of Week 7

You will need to submit your Assignment to two places:

1. Week 7 Medication Guide Discussion forum (linked at the button below) as an attachment
2. Week 7 Medication Guide Assignment submission link

Although no responses are required in the Discussion forum, collegial Discussion is welcome. You are encouraged to utilize your peers’ submitted guides on their assigned medication for study.

submission information

Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area. 

1. To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK7Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
2. Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
3. Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.

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