Case studies are a useful way for you to apply your knowledge of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic aspects of pharmacology to specific patient cases and health histories.

For this Assignment, you evaluate drug treatment plans for patients with various disorders and justify drug therapy plans based on patient history and diagnosis.

RESOURCES

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

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

· Review the case study posted in “Announcements” by your Instructor for this Assignment

· Review the information provided and answer questions posed in the case study

· When recommending a medication, write out a complete prescription for the medication

· Whenever possible, use clinical practice guidelines in developing your answers when possible

· Include at least three references to support your answer and cite them in APA format.

BY DAY 7 OF WEEK 7

Submit the Assignment.

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.

This week we will cover the pharmacology of musculoskeletal disorders. For musculoskeletal disorders we are faced with some unique pharmacological agents. This week you will read about disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), opioids, and muscle relaxants. Also, there are drugs referred to as biologics entering the market for conditions such as arthritis. These drugs represent exciting new technologies in the pharmaceutical world, and I hope some of you choose to research them further. Again, reach out to me if you have any questions on these topics.

This week you have case studies that encompass many topics that we have already covered in this class. As always, these cases draw on more content than just Week 7. Please be sure to review the rubric for the assignment so that you cover all of the required topics. This is what I will be grading you on. The cases are below:

Week 7 Cases

1. Mary is a 35-year-old woman that has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Her labs today show a TSH of 20, MCV 78, MCHD 26, Ferritin 9, TIBC 418. She has a history of iron deficiency anemia for 2 months. Current medications include Kelp tablets daily, ibuprofen 400 mg daily as needed, and ethinyl estradiol/norgestrel one tablet daily. What medication would you start this patient on for her hypothyroidism? How would you monitor this patient’s response to the medication? What education would you provide regarding her medications and their interactions?

2. Joe is a 48-year-old male diagnosed with Type II Diabetes Mellitus for a year ago. He has controlled his blood glucose through dietary changes. He has hypertension and is currently on Lisinopril 20 mg po daily. He has no known allergies. His lab work includes these results: fasting BG is 225 mg/dL; HgA1C = 7.5%. Basic Metabolic Profile (BMP) is normal except for a Cr of 2.0 and eGRF of 28. What treatment plan would you implement for Joe? What medications would you prescribe and how would you monitor them? What education would you provide regarding his treatment plan?

3. Jose is a 55-year-old truck driver being evaluated for his commercial driver’s license. He has a known history of diabetes mellitus type II. Current medications include Metformin 1000 mg Bid, Glipizide 20 mg po daily. Diltiazem 120 mg po BID. He is allergic to sulfa. Lab results show a fasting blood glucose of 325 mg/dL, HgA1C = 10.6%. Basic metabolic Profile is normal. What treatment plan would you implement for Jose? What medications would you prescribe and how would you monitor them? What education would you provide regarding his treatment plan?

4. Jenny is a 63-year-old woman with complaints of heartburn 4 to 5 times a week over the past 3 months. Her symptoms are worse at night after going to bed. Her heartburn is worse and she coughs a lot at night. She has tried OTC Prevacid 24 hour once daily for the past 2 weeks. This has helped the symptoms some but she is still bothered by them. Current medications include Diltiazem CD 120 mg PO once daily, Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg PO once daily, Metformin 500 mg PO twice daily, Aspirin 81 mg PO daily, Fluticasone/salmeterol DPI 100 mcg/50 mcg one inhalation twice daily. Your working diagnosis for this patient is GERD. What treatment plan would you implement for Jenny? What medications would you prescribe and how would you monitor them? What education would you provide regarding her treatment plan?