NURS 6630 Assessing and Treating Patients With Anxiety Disorders Decision #2
NURS 6630 Assessing and Treating Patients With Anxiety Disorders Decision
Selected Decision and Rationale
Currently, the recommended approach is to raise the daily oral dose of paroxetine to 20 mg, taking into account the individual’s reaction. According to professional guidelines, patients should receive increasing dosages of paroxetine (10 mg increments) based on their response, with a maximum daily dose not exceeding 50 mg (Bandelow, 2020). During the past four to five days, the first intervention effectively alleviated the individual’s feelings of anxiousness. The present score on the HAM-A is 18. The drug’s efficacy and tolerability have been proven via clinical studies (Szuhany & Simon, 2022). No adverse effects were detected, indicating a satisfactory level of safety. A significant proportion of patients need 8-12 weeks to establish the optimal dose for successfully managing symptoms of GAD (Tafet & Nemeroff, 2020). To optimize efficacy, it was crucial to establish consistent adherence to medicine and progressively increase the dose (Lee & Stein, 2022).
It is not recommended to escalate the dose to 40 mg since there are inconsistencies in clinical standards. A significant escalation in dose might hurt the patient’s pharmaceutical tolerance (Creswell et al., 2020). It is also unsuitable to persist in giving the same medication at an identical dosage, regardless of the patient’s dissatisfaction with the outcomes (McGowan, 2020). Due to the expected lack of further effectiveness in treating anxiety symptoms, patients may become less likely to follow the prescribed medicine (Melaragno, 2021).
Expected Outcome
Given that the individual’s chest discomfort and difficulty breathing have already been resolved, it is anticipated that raising the dosage would have a more pronounced impact on the remaining symptoms of concern (Garakani et al., 2020). Based on the provided information, the HAM-A score is expected to be less than ten.
Ethical Consideration
The PMHNP is responsible for conveying the patient’s findings and involving them in choices about their health (Tafet & Nemeroff, 2020). Before implementing the treatment plan, the nurse must get the patient’s agreement, even if it is in the patient’s best interests. This is done to uphold the patient’s autonomy and enhance the results.
