NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Sample Answer for NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia Included After Question

Sleep disorders are conditions that result in changes in an individual’s pattern of sleep (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Not surprisingly, a sleep disorder can affect an individual’s overall health, safety, and quality of life. Psychiatric nurse practitioners can treat sleep disorders with psychopharmacologic treatments, however, many of these drugs can have negative effects on other aspects of a patient’s health and well-being. Additionally, while psychopharmacologic treatments may be able to address issues with sleep, they can also exert potential challenges with waking patterns. Thus, it is important for the psychiatric nurse practitioner to carefully evaluate the best psychopharmacologic treatments for patients that present with sleep/wake disorders.

Reference: Mayo Clinic. (2020). Sleep disorders. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20354018

To prepare for this Assignment:

  • 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 patients with sleep/wake disorders.

The Assignment: 5 pages

Examine Case Study: Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia in a Younger Adult. You will be asked to make three decisions concerning the medication to prescribe to this patient. Be sure to consider factors that might impact the patient’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.

At each decision point, you should evaluate all options before selecting your decision and moving throughout the exercise. Before you make your decision, make sure that you have researched each option and that you evaluate the decision that you will select. Be sure to research each option using the primary literature.

Introduction to the case (1 page)

  • Briefly explain and summarize the case for this Assignment. Be sure to include the specific patient factors that may impact your decision making when prescribing medication for this patient.

Decision #1 (1 page)

  • Which decision did you select?
  • Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
  • Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Decision #2 (1 page)

  • Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
  • Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Decision #3 (1 page)

  • Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
  • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
  • Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.

Conclusion (1 page)

  • Summarize your recommendations on the treatment options you selected for this patient. Be sure to justify your recommendations and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.

Note: Support your rationale with a minimum of five academic resources. While you may use the course text to support your rationale, it will not count toward the resource requirement. You should be utilizing the primary and secondary literature.

Reminder : The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Title: NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Insomnia 31-year-old Male

BACKGROUND

This week, we examine a 31-year-old male who presents to the office with a chief complaint of insomnia.

SUBJECTIVE

Patient is a 31-year-old male. He states that his insomnia has gotten progressively worse over the past 6 months. Per the patient, he has never been a “great sleeper” but is now having difficulty both falling asleep and staying asleep at night. The problem began approximately 6 months ago after the sudden loss of his fiancé. The patient states this is affecting his ability to perform his job, which is a forklift operator at a local chemical company. The patient states he has used diphenhydramine in the past to sleep but does not like the way it makes him feel the morning after. He states he has fallen asleep on the job due to lack of sleep from the night before. The patient’s medical record from his previous physician states that he has a history of opiate abuse, which began after he broke his ankle in a skiing accident and was prescribed hydrocodone/apap (acetaminophen) for acute pain management. The patient has not received a prescription for an opiate analgesic in 4 years. The patient states recently he has been using alcohol to help him fall asleep, approximately four beers prior to bed.

 

MENTAL STATUS EXAM

The patient is alert and oriented to person, place, time, event. He makes good eye contact and is dressed appropriately for time of year. He denies auditory/visual hallucinations. Judgement, insight, and reality contact are all intact. Patient denies suicidal/homicidal ideation, and is future oriented.

Decision Point One

Select what you should do:

NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia
NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Zolpidem: 10 mg daily at bedtime

Trazodone: 50–100 mg daily at bedtime

Hydroxyzine: 50 mg daily at bedtime

 

Decision Point One

 

Zolpidem: 10 mg daily at bedtime

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks.
  • Patient states the medication “knocked him out” but felt he slept well.
  • His new girlfriend was concerned as he woke up in the middle of the night and cooked breakfast, yet the patient has no recollection of the occurrence.
  • Patient states that the medication helps him sleep especially well when taken with a beer right before bedtime. Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented.

Decision Point Two

 

Decrease zolpidem to 5 mg daily at bedtime

 

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks.
  • Patient states his episodes of “nighttime activity” has greatly decreased.
  • His girlfriend told him that one time in the 2 weeks he got up and was getting ready to go for a drive.
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented.
  • Patient states that he likes the way the zolpidem helps him sleep and “is good with continuing to take it if most of the time I sleep through the night undisturbed.”

Decision Point Three

 

Maintain dose. Patient to return in 4 weeks for follow up appointment

 

Guidance to Student

Zolpidem is a medication that has a host of negative side effects. It should not be the first choice of therapy due to these side effects. Caution must be exercised if prescribing this medication to a patient. The patient should be instructed not to mix the medication with alcohol or any other medication unless first speaking with their provider.

In this case, the patient is experiencing complex sleep behavior. It is prudent as the patient’s healthcare provider to discontinue this medication and prescribe something different.

Trazodone is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that is a much safer choice. In adults you will want to start with 50mg at bedtime and titrate up as needed.

Decision Point One

 

Trazodone: 50–100 mg daily at bedtime

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks
  • Patient states medication works well but gives him an unpleasant side effect of a prolonged erection of the penis, approximately 15 minutes after waking
  • Patient states this makes it difficult to get ready for work or go downstairs and have coffee with his girlfriend and daughter in the morning
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented

Decision Point Two

 

Explain that priapism is a side effect of trazodone that should diminish over time. Continue dose

 

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks
  • Patient states priapism has diminished over time
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented
  • Patient states trazodone is effective at 50 mg dose but sometimes wakes up following day with next-day drowsiness
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented

Decision Point Three

 

Discontinue trazodone. Initiate therapy with sonata 10 mg nightly at bedtime. Follow up in 4 weeks

 

Guidance to Student

Trazodone is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has a low side effect profile. It would not be prudent to prescribe sonata as it carries with it the risk of complex sleep behaviors. Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine with strong sedative properties. However, many patients complain of anticholinergic adverse effects the following morning, such as Xerostomia and Xerophthalmia.

The patient is presenting with excessive somnolence. It would be prudent to reduce the dose of trazodone by 50% and reassess in 4 weeks.

Decision Point One

 

Hydroxyzine: 50 mg daily at bedtime

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks
  • Patient states medication helps with sleep but leaves a similar next-day feeling to what the patient experienced with diphenhydramine
  • Patient also states his mouth and eyes are extremely dry in the morning
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented

Decision Point Two

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Discontinue hydroxyzine. Initiate therapy with temazepam 15 mg daily at bedtime

 

RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO

  • Patient returns to clinic in 2 weeks
  • Patient states temazepam really helps with sleep and makes him feel great when he washes it down with a beer
  • Patient denies auditory/visual hallucinations and is future oriented

Decision Point Three

 

Discontinue temazepam. Initiate therapy with trazodone 50–100 mg nightly at bedtime. Follow up in 4 weeks

 

Guidance to Student

The mixture of alcohol and benzodiazepines is one that can result in respiratory depression and death. It would be prudent to discontinue any benzodiazepines your patient is on if you are aware, or even have a suspicion, that the patient consumes alcohol. The mixture of hypnotics and alcohol can also cause respiratory depression and death. Trazodone is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has a low side effect profile. Alcohol counseling should also be discussed with the patient to rule out any issues.

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

 

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Fernandez-Mendoza, J., & Vgontzas, A. N. (2013). Insomnia and its impact on physical and mental health. Current Psychiatry Reports, 15(12), 418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0418-8

Levenson, J. C., Kay, D. B., & Buysse, D. J. (2015). The pathophysiology of insomnia. Chest, 147(4), 1179–1192. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4388122/

Morgenthaler, T. I., Kapur, V. K., Brown, T. M., Swick, T. J., Alessi, C., Aurora, R. N., Boehlecke, B., Chesson, A. L., Friedman, L., Maganti, R., Owens, J., Pancer, J., & Zak, R. (2007). Practice parameters for the treatment of narcolepsy and other hypersomnias of central origin. SLEEP, 30(12), 1705–1711. https://j2vjt3dnbra3ps7ll1clb4q2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PP_Narcolepsy.pdf

Morgenthaler, T. I., Owens, J., Alessi, C., Boehlecke, B, Brown, T. M., Coleman, J., Friedman, L., Kapur, V. K., Lee-Chiong, T., Pancer, J., & Swick, T. J. (2006). Practice parameters for behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children. SLEEP, 29(1), 1277–1281. https://j2vjt3dnbra3ps7ll1clb4q2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PP_NightWakingsChildren.pdf

Sateia, M. J., Buysse, D. J., Krystal, A. D., Neubauer, D. N., & Heald, J. L. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(2), 307–349. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/pdf/10.5664/jcsm.6470

Winkleman, J. W. (2015). Insomnia disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine, 373(15), 1437–1444. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp1412740

 

Medication Resources (click to expand/reduce)

 

U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (n.d.). Drugs@FDA: FDA-approved drugs. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm

 

Note: To access the following medications, use the Drugs@FDA resource. Type the name of each medication in the keyword search bar. Select the hyperlink related to the medication name you searched. Review the supplements provided and select the package label resource file associated with the medication you searched. If a label is not available, you may need to conduct a general search outside of this resource provided. Be sure to review the label information for each medication as this information will be helpful for your review in preparation for your Assignments.

  • alprazolam
  • amitriptyline
  • amoxapine
  • amphetamine
  • desipramine
  • diazepam
  • doxepin
  • eszopiclone
  • flunitrazepam
  • flurazepam
  • hydroxyzine
  •  imipramine
  • lemborexant
  • lorazepam
  • melatonin
  • methylphenedate
  • modafinil
  • armodafinil
  • carnitine
  • clomipramine
  • clonazepam
  • nortriptyline
  • pitolisant
  • ramelteon
  • sodium oxybate
  • solriamfetol
  • SSRI’s
  • temazepam
  • trazodone
  • triazolam
  • trimipramine
  • wellbutrin
  • zaleplon
  • zolpidem

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A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Title: NURS 6630 Pharmacologic Approaches to the Treatment of Insomnia

Insomnia is a mental disorder that affects significantly the health, wellbeing, and functioning of the patients. Therefore, this paper examines a case study of a 31-year-old male that presents with chief complaint of insomnia. The patient reported that the insomnia has worsened progressively over the last six months. The problem started about six months ago after his fiancé passed on. Insomnia has affected his ability to perform at his job as a forklift operator. The patient has a history of using diphenhydramine to enhance sleep but did not like what he felt the morning after, as he fallen asleep because of lack of sleep the night before. The patient’s history also shows that he has opiate abuse after breaking his ankle where he was prescribed acetaminophen for pain management. However, he has not received an opiate prescription for the last four years.   

The patient also has a history of alcohol use to induce sleep. He drinks about four beers before bed. Mental status exam performed on the patient showed that he was oriented to place, time, person, and event. He made eye contact, dressed appropriately for the occasion, denied hallucinations, with judgement, insight, and reality being intact. He also denied suicidal ideation and future oriented. Therefore, the patient factors that will affect the selected treatment include his age, experience with diphenhydramine, opiate abuse, and alcohol use. The selected treatments should not predispose him to unwanted outcomes such as poor performance at workplace, dependence, or increased use of alcohol to manage insomnia symptoms.  

Decision 1 

Selected Decision  

Zolpidem: 10 mg daily at bedtime  

Why I Selected the Decision  

I selected Zolpidem for the patient because of its high level of tolerance and efficacy in managing insomnia and minimal residual effects. According to Xiang et al., (2021), Zolpidem is highly effective in increasing the total sleep time, reducing sleep latency, and enhancing sleep quality in patients suffering from insomnia disorder. Clinical trials have also demonstrated that Zolpidem has a high efficacy level in improving wake after sleep onset, which enhances the performance and productivity of the patients affected by insomnia disorder (Inoue et al., 2022). In another study, zolpidem was found to increase patients’ ability to sleep within 30 minutes, eliminate troubles they experience staying awake during daytime, and remaining motivated to get things done (Asok et al., 2019). The effectiveness was high as compared to placebo and use of other agents to enhance sleep.  

Why the Other Two were not Selected? 

I did not select the decision to initiate the patient on Trazodone 50 mg PO at bedtime because it is not the first-line drug of choice for insomnia. Instead, it is recommended for patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to manage their associated insomnia (Cuomo et al., 2019). I did not select the decision to start the patient with Hydroxyzine 50 mg daily at bedtime. This is because it is a histamine H1 blocker, which the patient reported having a negative experience with it (Sharma et al., 2019). Its administration is likely to affect treatment adherence, hence, the lack of realization of the desired outcomes.  

What I was Hoping to Achieve 

I was hoping to achieve improvements in sleep quality, latency, after night performance, and functioning in the patient. This is largely attributed to the effects of zolpidem on sleep. I was also hoping to see the patient tolerating the selected treatment (Xiang et al., 2021).   

Ethical Considerations  

The ethical consideration that informed the adopted decision is the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence. Psychiatric mental health nurses should adopt treatments associated with minimal harm and optimum patient benefits. As a result, zolpidem has more benefits than harm as compared to the given options (Xiang et al., 2021).  

Decision 2 

Selected Decision  

Discontinue zolpidem and initiate therapy with Trazodone 50-100 mg daily at bedtime.  

Why I Selected the Decision  

The decision to discontinue zolpidem and initiate therapy with trazodone 50-100 mg daily at bedtime was adopted. This is because the patient returned to the clinic with complains that suggested that he developed adverse effects associated with zolpidem. Accordingly, he reports that he felt knocked out, waking up in the middle of the night and cooking breakfast and having no recollection of the occurrence, and taking the medication with beer right before bedtime to get sleep. As shown by Asok et al., (2019), these are some of the unwanted side effects of zolpidem. Trazodone would be the best drug of choice at this time. According to Pochiero et al., (2022), Trazodone is an off-label drug that is used in treating acute cases of insomnia because of its high affinity for alpha 1 and serotonin 2A receptors that regulate sleep. The long-term use of trazodone is associated with improved sleep complaints and enhanced cognitive and functional scores among patients suffering from insomnia (La et al., 2019). Therefore, it makes it an effective drug to manage insomnia symptoms for the patient.  

Why the Other Two were not Selected? 

I did not select the decision to decrease zolpidem to 5 mg daily at bedtime because the client demonstrated symptoms of adverse reaction to the drug. Its continued administration is associated with the increased risk of worsening symptoms and poor treatment adherence. I did not select the decision to discontinue zolpidem and initiate eszopiclone 1 mg daily at bedtime because it has a high risk of symptom relapse as well as studies demonstrating high efficacy when used in elderly patients (Liang et al., 2019).  

What I was Hoping to Achieve  

I was hoping to eliminate the adverse effects the patient developed towards zolpidem. I was also hoping to improve his sleep quality, eliminate night awakening, and improve his daily functioning. I was also hoping to improve his overall tolerance to the treatment (Cuomo et al., 2019).  

Ethical Considerations  

The ethical consideration that informed the above decision is utilizing evidence-based data to ensure safety and efficiency in treating mental health disorders. Psychiatric mental health nurses should adopt evidence-based decisions to minimize potentials of patient harm. As a result, the decision to change the treatment aimed at eliminating further risks associated with zolpidem in insomnia treatment (Xiang et al., 2021).  

Decision 3 

Selected Decision  

Continue dose. Explain to patient he may split the 50 mg table in half. The decreased dose should minimize next day drowsiness. Follow up in 4 weeks.  

Why I Selected the Decision  

The client returned to the clinic in 2 weeks. He reported that trazodone is effective at 50 mg dose. However, he wakes up sometimes the following day with next-day drowsiness. He denies any auditory or visual hallucinations and is future oriented. These findings demonstrate the Trazodone has been effective in managing symptoms associated with insomnia. The patient denies night awakening and failing to recollect his experiences. He also does not take the drug with beer to enhance sleep quality. The next-day drowsiness is an expected finding because of the effect of the current dosage of trazodone (Cuomo et al., 2019). As a result, an effective solution would be to split the 50 mg tablet in half to minimize the next day drowsiness.  

Why the Other Two were not Selected? 

The decision to discontinue trazodone, initiate therapy with sonata 10 mg nightly at bedtime and following up in 4 weeks was not selected because trazodone had demonstrated the desired treatment outcomes. There was improvement in symptoms translating into no need to initiate the patient on a new drug. Similarly, the decision to discontinue trazodone and initiate therapy with hydroxyzine 50 mg at bedtime and following up in 4 weeks was not selected since trazodone had shown its effectiveness and efficacy. In addition, the patient has negative experience with diphenhydramine, which translate into a similar effect with hydroxyzine (Inoue et al., 2022).  

What I was Hoping to Achieve  

I was hoping to see sustained improvement in insomnia symptoms. I was also hoping that the patient will report minimal side effects associated with trazodone. Splitting the tablet into half was also expected to address the issue of next-day sleepiness (Cuomo et al., 2019).  

Ethical Considerations  

Ethical considerations such as justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence could have affected the adopted treatments. Accordingly, psychiatric mental health nurses demonstrate justice in their practice by ensuring confidentiality and privacy of the patient’s data. In addition, they ensure the adopted treatments are not harmful and aim at doing for their patients. Therefore, a violation of any of these principles would affect treatment outcomes.  

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the initially adopted treatment to begin the patient with zolpidem was ineffective. The patient demonstrated signs and symptoms of adverse reactions to zolpidem. This increased the need for the adoption trazodone to minimize the adverse and side effects while improving the symptoms of insomnia. The decision to begin the patient with zolpidem and not trazodone is that trazodone is largely used in patients with insomnia associated with other disorders. The selection of trazodone proved effective for the patient. There was the elimination of night awakening, feeling knocked out, and having to add beer to enhance his sleep quality. The patient reported feeling sleepy the following day, which necessitated the splitting of the Trazodone 50 mg table into half to address it (Cuomo et al., 2019). This decision led to further improvement in insomnia symptoms and drug tolerance, hence, the effectiveness of the decision. 

Ethical considerations informed the patient’s treatment. Accordingly, the decisions made aimed at ensuring the promotion of safety, efficiency, and quality in the treatment process. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner made the decisions with the aim of optimizing benefits while minimizing the potential harm the selected drugs had on the patient. In addition, the principles of justice, autonomy, and beneficence, and non-maleficence informed the decisions made in the case study. For example, by minimizing harm, the nurse ensured the principle of non-maleficence. The use of evidence-based interventions in decision-making aimed at doing good for the patients (Xiang et al., 2021). Therefore, ethics guided the selected decisions in the patient’s treatment.  

 

References 

Asok, A., Sreekumar, S., TK, R., CC, A., P, U. D., & K, P. (2019). Effectiveness of zolpidem and sleep hygiene counseling in the treatment of insomnia in solid tumor patients. Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, 25(7), 1608–1612. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078155218801062 

Cuomo, A., Ballerini, A., Bruni, A. C., Decina, P., Sciascio, G. D., Fiorentini, A., Scaglione, F., Vampini, C., & Fagiolini, A. (2019). Clinical guidance for the use of trazodone in major depressive disorder and concomitant conditions: Pharmacology and clinical practice. Rivista di Psichiatria, 54(4), 137–149. 

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