Reference no: EM134037343
Assignment:
BACKGROUND
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 1
Select what you should do:
- Zolpidem: 10 mg daily at bedtime
- Trazodone: 50-100 mg daily at bedtime- chosen
- Hydroxyzine: 50 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 an erection lasting 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.
Questions; Please detailed explanation
Introduction to the case
- Thoroughly explain and summarize the case for this Assignment. Be sure to include the specific patient factors that may impact the decision making when prescribing medication for this patient.
- Which decision was selected (Trazodone: 50-100 mg daily at bedtime)?
- Why select this decision? Be specific and support the response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
- Why did not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support the response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources.
- What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references for current articles.
- Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.