Pharmacotherapy for Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders
This week we will focusing on GI and Hepatobiliary pharmacology. We have an assignment due. Please use the following case for your assignment:
Patient HL comes into the clinic with the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient has a history of drug abuse and possible Hepatitis C. HL is currently taking the following prescription drugs:
- Synthroid 100 mcg daily
- Nifedipine 30 mg daily
- Prednisone 10 mg daily
Review the case study assigned by your Instructor for this Assignment.
- Reflect on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and drugs currently prescribed.
- Think about a possible diagnosis for the patient. Consider whether the patient has a disorder related to the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary system or whether the symptoms are the result of a disorder from another system or other factors, such as pregnancy, drugs, or a psychological disorder.
- Consider an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
Write a 1-page paper that addresses the following:
- Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis.
- Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
- Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples.
The patient presents with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; these are symptoms of gastrointestinal tract infection. Also, patient HL has a history of drug abuse and possible Hepatitis C. To diagnose the patient accurately, the clinician should first administer a colonoscopy examination, take a stool sample, and probe/question the patient in a face-to-face setting (Durazzo et al., 2017). Based on Patient HL’s presenting symptoms, her diagnosis would be a “GI tract infection,” a condition termed diverticulosis. This rationale is justified by the presence of GI tract disorder symptoms, i.e., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, abdominal tenderness, and fever. All these symptoms match Patient HL’s complaints, and thus her diagnosis would be a GI tract disorder.
Currently, Patient HL’s drug therapy includes: Synthroid 100 mcg daily – to provide more thyroid hormone, Prednisone 10 mg daily – for severe allergies, regional enteritis, immunity, and ulcerative colitis, and Nifedipine 30 mg daily – for angina and hypertension. Having diagnosed the patient with diverticulosis, a GI tract disorder, the commendable therapy would involve dietary changes, rest, and the use of antibiotics (Gutierrez-Junquera & Zevit, 2020). In case it re-occurs, surgery would be appropriate. The suitable drug therapy for Patient HL would include:
- Antibiotics, e.g., amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 500 mg daily
- Oral therapy, e.g., cephalosporin plus metronidazole
- Intravenous therapy, e.g., ceftriaxone, cefazolin, or cefuroxime, all plus ampicillin
Patient HL’s condition is not complicated. This is the reason why the above drug therapy would be recommended. A combination of either two or all of the above options, one drug per category would be helpful for Patient HL (Reichert & Lammert, 2015). However, the patient must ensure diet modification, go for a bed rest, and take the antibiotics as prescribed by the clinician to enhance recovery.
References
- Durazzo, M., Campion, D., Fagoonee, S., & Pellicano, R. (2017). Gastrointestinal tract disorders in the elderly. Minerva Medica, 108(6), 575.
- Gutierrez-Junquera, C., & Zevit, N. (2020). Dietary treatment of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders in children. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 23(3), 210-216.
- Reichert, M. C., & Lammert, F. (2015). The genetic epidemiology of diverticulosis and diverticular disease: Emerging evidence. United European Gastroenterology Journal, 3(5), 409-418.