-
- QUESTION
Discussion Question 1
Many patients ask for nonprescription medications to use for various health problems, such as insomnia, depression, pain, memory, and anxiety. Select one patient complaint (for example, insomnia) and review the major herbs that have been recommended for treatment. Go to the South University Online Library and locate at least one peer-reviewed research article designed to study the effects of one of these substances. Describe the study and results and explain how this would influence your action as an APN.
COMPLAINT: ANXIETY
*Please use any other additional source to help in answering the question.
| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
Nonprescription Medications for Anxiety
Nonprescription medications are drugs that can be sold to consumers without a directive from healthcare professionals and sometimes even on the store shelves outside pharmacy. Nonprescription drugs are often useful for treating patient presentations that can be mitigated by the active pharmaceutical ingredients of the medications. A good example of a patient complaint that can be managed by nonprescription medications is anxiety. Spielberger (2013) opines that anxiety disorder is crippling human emotion characterized by nervousness, persistent fear, rumination, unpleasant condition of intrinsic turmoil, and somatic complaints such as headaches. Several nonprescription herbs have been recommended for anxiety management. According to Woo & Wynne (2012), the examples of herbal medications commonly used in anxiety management are passion flower, mugwort, kava, wormwood, and pill-bearing spurge.
This discussion evaluates the effects of passion flower as posited by the results in the article “Herbal medicines for depression and anxiety: A comprehensive state of the art review” by Shanti & Avinash (2013). Passion flower extracts have been shown to be effective against anxiety. Shanti & Avinash (2013) provide details of studies used to define the therapeutic effects of passion flower extracts. The studies involve animal behavioral models whose activities are manipulated by the administration of the passion flower extracts whereby 125mg/kg gave anxiolytic effects on mice. Additionally, a four-week RCT in 34 patients with general anxiety disorder showed that passion flower extract was as effective as 30mg/day oxazepam in reducing anxiety. The passion flower extract also had less adverse effects on the subjects.
These results would influence me to administer passion flower extracts to patients with general anxiety disorder. The primary factor influencing the decision is the less toxicity of passion flower extracts. Anxiety disorders are usually caused by a web of factors and thus, can take a long time to control. Therefore, using of drugs with greater toxicity and more adverse effects such as oxazepam would not be appropriate. According to Shohel, Wadud, Habib, Malik, Kabir, & Reza (2013), chronic benzodiazepine uses results to severe side effects such as insomnia, weakness, diarrhea, and muscle cramps. Healthcare providers should administer more potent drugs with less toxicity. Therefore, passion flower extracts that give equal results as benzodiazepines in anxiety management but with fewer side effects can be used instead. However, I would proceed with caution and consult with the clinician to acknowledge and second the passion flower administration.
References
|
Shanti, P., & Avinash, D. S. (2013). Herbal medicines for depression and anxiety: A comprehensive state of the art review. Global Journal of Research on Medicinal Plants & Indigenous Medicine, 2(5), 317-336. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1430986112?accountid=87314 Shohel, M., Wadud, R., Habib, Z. F., Malik, F., Kabir, S., & Reza, H. M. (2013). Management of benzodiazepine dependence and toxicity. Spielberger, C. D. (Ed.). (2013). Anxiety and behavior. Academic Press. Woo T. M., & Wynne, A. L. (2012). Pharmacotherapeutics for nurse practitioner prescribers (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
|