Psychotherapeutic drugs are used to treat issues related to the thoughts and actions of people with perceptual and behavioral disorders. They are not used to treat psychoses, but they assist both adults and minors with living more suitably. Unfortunately, as it occurs with other medications, they have side effects that may negatively influence the health of certain individuals. The following essay will review the reasons why such drugs are riskier for older adults and how nurses should assign treatment.
Since older adults are known for experiencing issues with the cardiovascular, central nervous and respiratory systems, it is important to review how the medication affects them. For example, specific antipsychotic and neuroleptic drugs may lead to muscle spasms, hypotension, and arrhythmias. In worse cases, some of these agents may cause pulmonary edema, which is a life-threatening condition (Tabangcora, 2022). Thus, nurses must be able to monitor such cases and assist their patients properly.
First, they are advised to review a patient’s medical history and search for some precautions and contraindications. Said contraindications include allergies, cardiovascular problems and respiratory illnesses (Tabangcora, 2022). However, this measure is insufficient, which is why they must assess their patient more thoroughly by performing a thorough examination that depicts the patient’s health in a more detailed manner. Thus, certain complications may be prevented from occurring in the future.
Second, nurses are advised to make certain interventions that are necessary for patients who take psychotherapeutic drugs. Some of them involve providing comfort and safety measures and monitoring glucose levels (Tabangcora, 2022). These employees are recommended to inform their patients about agent therapy to assist the patient with understanding and complying with the methods. That way, nurses can ensure proper communication with their patients and guarantee them a comfortable environment.
Finally, it is highly recommended that nurses ensure the effectiveness of the agent therapy. To do so, they should review the patient’s response to therapy and search for any negative effects, if there are any. The employees are to be certain that the person complies with the treatment and does not violate any regulations. This may help nurses discover whether the medication is useful or not.
Reference
Tabangcora, I. D. (2022). Psychotherapeutic drugs: Nursing pharmacology study guide. Nurseslabs. Web.