Drugs have different effects on the body. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic are two-term that explain how drugs react in the body. Many drugs are metabolized and eliminated by the liver and kidneys. If these systems are impaired, this can lead to increased adverse effects and possible medication overdose( Rosenthal & Burchum, 2018).
Pharmacokinetics is the study of drug movement throughout the body. Pharmacokinetic has four different levels, such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2018). Pharmacodynamics is the response of the body to the drug. It is the relationship between drug concentration at the site of action and any effects, namely, the intensity and time course of the result and adverse effects. (Campbell & Cohall, 2017) NURS 6521 Week 1 Discussion: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics essay
Patient scenario
The case involved a 76-year-old female with a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and seizure disorders presented to the hospital after a fall. The was complaining of generalized fatigue and weakness, dizziness, drowsiness, tremor, and slurred speech for the past two days. The current medications that the patient is taking are Dilantin 100 mg three times daily, Metformin 500 mg twice daily, Lantus 20 units at bedtime, and lisinopril 10 mg daily. NURS 6521 Week 1 Discussion: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics essay
As the patient aging, they have fewer nephrons and smaller kidneys. The decreased in nephrons leads to a decrease in blood filtration. Also, older adults have vessel changes such as atherosclerosis that can lead to a reduction in kidney blood flow. Thus, the renal system has difficulty to excrete medications (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2018).
According to Miller and Vearri (2018), once Dilantin reaches a level of over 30Ug/ml, it is considered toxic (Miller and Vearri, 2018). This patient is experiencing Dilantin toxicity without knowing because of the symptoms that he has does not clearly show it. The blood revealed that his Dilantin level was high 30 µg/mL. Often, the patient does not know the side effect of the medication that they are taking. The plan of care for this patient is to reduce the dosage of Dilantin, educate the patient and family members about the side effects of Dilantin, and monitor Dilantin level weekly until the patient reaches a therapeutic level of 10 and 20 µg/mL. NURS 6521 Week 1 Discussion: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics essay
References
Rosenthal L.D., & Burchum, J.R. (2018). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice
providers. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier
Miller, C & Vearri, D. (2018). Phenytoin Toxicity Workup: Laboratory Studies, Imaging
Studies, Electrocardiography. Retrieved from https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/816447-workup
Campbell, J. E., & Cohall, D. (2017). Pharmacodynamics-A Pharmacognosy Perspective.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128021040000263
Order this paper