Describe the chosen classification of medications, from the classification category, for your chosen vulnerable patient

• Patient 1: 26-year-old female with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder who is increasing in isolation and poor self-care. She is in her third trimester of pregnancy.
• Patient 2: 16-year-old male with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, severe. He has seen a therapist weekly for the past 6 months and has had minimal change in symptoms. He has expressed thoughts of wanting to die.
• Patient 3: 72-year-old male with diagnosis of major depressive disorder and panic disorder. He has cardiac history and takes antihypertensive medications.
• Patient 4: 8-year-old Asian female with a diagnosis of severe depressive disorder presents to the office with a report of worsening symptoms. She has never taken psychotropic medication before.

Step 2: Create a Medication Guide for a patient. In your guide, you should provide the following specific instructions for the patient:

• Describe the chosen classification of medications, from the classification category, for your chosen vulnerable patient. Explain your rationale for your choice.
• Explain what dose you would start the chosen medication with and the frequency.
• Discuss how the medication works to treat their symptoms.
• Explain how long they should take the medication.
• Discuss the typical or common side effects of the medication.
• Explain the urgent or emergent considerations for the patient taking the medication.

The Medication Guide should also include:

• Directions you would provide the patient on how to take the prescribed medication
• Instructions on what the patient should do if a medication dose is missed
• List of any other medications, over-the-counter medications, and/or supplements/herbals the patient should avoid while taking the prescribed medication
• List of foods the patient should avoid when taking this medication
• Date when the patient should return for follow-up visit with you
• Discussion about the legal and ethical considerations for the medication being prescribed
• Answers in consideration of Social Determinants of Health on how you would:
  • Assist the patient who cannot not afford to pay financially for the medication you are recommending/prescribing; and/or
  • Has difficulty with transportation that impacts their ability to present for regular appointments with you
• Discuss how financial hardship and lack of transportation could relate to Social Determinants of Health, as well as why they are important considerations for you as a prescriber.

Expert Answer and Explanation

Patient Medication Guide

The selected patient scenario: The patient is 72-year-old, male diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and panic disorder. The patient has cardiac history, and takes blood pressure medications. This is a guideline that highlights information related to the medication education.

Medication Classification and Rationale

Considering the details highlighted in the scenario, the ideal pharmacological intervention for the patient is Sertraline, sold under the name, Zoloft. This medication is part of the set of medications classified as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), which serve as the primary therapy for the MDD including panic disorder (Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depression, 2025).

In addition to being effective in terms of the management of the identified two forms of disorders, Sertraline is safe even for those with cardiac disorders and hypertensive patients that are on antihypertensive medications. While Escitalopram is an alternative medication, its use increases the risk of arrhythmia especially in seniors considering that it prolongs the QT interval.

The Initial Dosage for the Medication Including the Frequency

The treatment of the patient with Sertraline starts with 25 mg of oral dosage, which he takes once a day. Within a span of 7 days of being on this initial dosage, the patient’s dosage increases to 50 mg, and depending on how he responds to or tolerates the treatment, the titration may increase to 100 mg. The patient may take the medication anytime of the day as long as they take it after every 24 hours (Adjei, Adunlin, & Ali, 2023).

The Mechanism of Action of the Medication

The SSRIs generally cause the elevation of the brain’s serotonin levels, regulating anxiety, emotions and mood. As an SSRI, the Sertraline adopts the same mechanism of action considering that it inhibits the serotonin’s reuptake, causing the surge in the levels of the serotonin. Through this mechanism, it addresses the clinical manifestations tied to MDD and panic disorder like extreme anxiety, and chronic sadness.

The Length of Time of Taking the Medication

For the complete eradication of the symptoms, the treatment will go for a period of between 6 and 12 months. With the improvement of the symptoms, the intervention would focus on the prevention of the relapse through steady decrease of the dosage (Fagiolini et al., 2024). In case the symptoms have remained persistent for prolonged period, this necessitates continuing the treatment.

The Medication’s Typical or Common Side Effects

During the therapy that involves the use of Sertraline, the patient should expect to experience various side effects including tiredness, altered sleep patterns, drowsiness, dryness of the mouth and nausea (Fagiolini et al., 2024).

Urgent or Emergent Considerations for the Patient Taking the Medication

At the start of therapy, it is important to monitor the patient for the suicidal ideations or for symptoms that indicate serious depression. In addition to this consideration, the provider should closely monitor the patient, examining the possibility of the patient experiencing heightened risk of bleeding considering that the recommended medication interacts with blood thinning medications.

Given the patient’s age, he is at risk of developing hyponatremia, a condition in which the sodium levels significantly decline (Karakousis & Kostakopoulos, 2021). This involves observing signs like headache and confusion. In case the provider observes these symptoms, they should intervene, taking appropriate measures to address the symptoms.

Instructions for Patient on How to Use the Medication

When taking the Sertraline, the patient should ensure they withdrawal from the medication is gradual to reduce the adverse health events linked to abrupt withdrawal such as lightheadedness. It is also important to emphasize the patient taking the medication at the same time each day to ensure adequate amount of the drug in their system (Edinoff et al., 2021).

Instructions for Missed Dosage

In the event that the patient misses their dose, they should take it immediately, ensuring that they regularly take the medication. Even when they miss their dose, they should ensure they take only the required amount of the dose without doubling it. This is crucial in the sense that it prevents overdose which may have adverse side effects like worsened mood issues.

Medications and Supplements to Avoid

Sertraline can amplify the pharmacological activities of some of the SSRs, or the actions of this medication may decline when it interacts with other medications or supplements. Thus, it is imperative that a person on this medication should avoid taking an SSRI and SNRI. Also avoiding of the NSAID is critical because NSAIDs interact with Sertraline, increasing the risk of bleeding. Because alcoholic products intensify the action of these drugs, a patient may feel drowsy if they take Sertraline with alcohol (Edinoff et al., 2021).

Foods to Avoid

The recommended foods to avoid when taking Sertraline include too much caffeine, which worsens the symptoms of anxiety. Avoiding of the grapefruits is equally crucial because these fruits limit the pharmacological actions of the drug.

Follow-Up Visit

The follow-up visit for the 72-year-old patient focuses on assessing adherence, and determining the adverse drug events. The collected information may help provider determine whether the change of treatment is necessary (Aremu et al., 2022).

Legal and Ethical Considerations

When prescribing the medication, the provider should ensure they provide sufficient details about the medication, highlighting alternative intervention options. Seeking the patient’s consent is equally crucial.

Tackling the Social Determinants of Health

In the patient finds it difficult to afford the original medication, the provider may recommend a generic version of the drug. If the patient faces financial constraints that make it difficult for them to attend clinical sessions, the provider should consider performing assessment and carrying out health education virtually (Ezeamii et al., 2024).

Conclusion

The highlighted patient medication guide highlights the different pieces of information to include in the guide. It also includes details on how to manage the side effects. To add to this information, it is important to consider including details on how the patient can manage the side effects through approaches like being active.

References

Adjei, K., Adunlin, G., & Ali, A. A. (2023). Impact of Sertraline, Fluoxetine, and Escitalopram on Psychological Distress among United States Adult Outpatients with a Major Depressive Disorder. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 11(5), 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050740.

Aremu, T. O., Oluwole, O. E., Adeyinka, K. O., & Schommer, J. C. (2022). Medication Adherence and Compliance: Recipe for Improving Patient Outcomes. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy10050106.

Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depression (2025). Depression Treatments for Adults. https://www.apa.org/depression-guideline/adults.

Edinoff, A. N., Akuly, H. A., Hanna, T. A., Ochoa, C. O., Patti, S. J., Ghaffar, Y. A., Kaye, A. D., Viswanath, O., Urits, I., Boyer, A. G., Cornett, E. M., & Kaye, A. M. (2021). Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Adverse Effects: A Narrative Review. Neurology international, 13(3), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint13030038.

Ezeamii, V. C., Okobi, O. E., Wambai-Sani, H., Perera, G. S., Zaynieva, S., Okonkwo, C. C., Ohaiba, M. M., William-Enemali, P. C., Obodo, O. R., & Obiefuna, N. G. (2024). Revolutionizing Healthcare: How Telemedicine Is Improving Patient Outcomes and Expanding Access to Care. Cureus, 16(7), e63881. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.63881.

Fagiolini, A., Mariano, M. P., Biesheuvel, E., & Purushottamahanti, P. (2024). A Pooled Analysis of the Efficacy of Sertraline in Women, With a Focus on Those of Childbearing Age. Annals of General Psychiatry, 23(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-024-00519-9.

Karakousis, N. D., & Kostakopoulos, N. A. (2021). Hyponatremia in the frail. Journal of frailty, sarcopenia and falls, 6(4), 241–245. https://doi.org/10.22540/JFSF-06-241.

Place your order now for a similar assignment and get fast, cheap and best quality work written by our expert level  assignment writers.Use Coupon Code: NEW30 to Get 30% OFF Your First Order