Week 8_A2: Assessing and Treating Patients With Sleep/Wake Disorders NURS 6630

 

 

 

           

Week 8_A2: Assessing and Treating Patients With Sleep/Wake Disorders NURS 6630

 

 

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Assessing and Treating Patients With Sleep/Wake Disorders

            To promote a comprehensive understanding of the treatment of a patient with insomnia, this discussion examines the case of a 31-year-old male patient diagnosed with insomnia. The patient reports being used to getting inadequate sleep most of his life. However, ever since he lost his fiancé about 6 months ago, he has been finding it hard to fall and stay asleep. Previously, the patient was using diphenhydramine to manage his insomnia but stopped due to the side effects experienced upon waking up. His work requires very high concentration levels which are greatly impacted by his inability to get enough sleep at night. The patient even reports that he has been falling asleep at work recently. As reported by the patient’s previous physician, he has a history of opiate abuse, which was developed when he was prescribed hydrocodone/APAP (acetaminophen) for managing pain associated with his broken ankle from skiing. The patient however denies use of opioid analgesics for the past 4 years. He however reports drinking alcohol every night to help him sleep. Mental status examination reveals no possibilities of comorbidities.

Several medications have been proven to be effective in the management of insomnia among adults. However, the choice of which medication to prescribe depends on several patient factors. For the patient in this discussion, such factors include his age, gender, and insomnia diagnosis. His previous use of diphenhydramine but with undesirable side effects will also be considered. His social history of losing his fiancé, history of opiate abuse, and use of alcohol will also play a significant role in determining the most effective drug choice. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the decisions made in prescribing medication for the treatment of young adult patients with insomnia, in addition to the ethical consideration at each decision point.

 

Decision #1

Selected Decision and Rationale

            Out of the provided alternatives, starting the patient on trazodone 50mg once daily at bedtime seems to be the most appropriate decision. Trazodone is an antidepressant with a complex mode of action primarily associated with the inhibition of the serotonin pathway (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019). The drug is frequently prescribed off-label for the management of chronic insomnia high tolerance levels and effectiveness in initiating and maintaining sleep (Winkelman, 2015; Grandner & Perlis, 2019). The initial dose of the drug for adults with insomnia usually ranges from 25 to 50mg once daily, but the dose may range to up to 150mg once daily depending on the treatment outcome (Sateia et al., 2017). The drug is administered orally with a rapid absorption rate that promotes a short onset of action with peak plasma concentration being attained within 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is metabolized primarily via the CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 pathways with reduced risks of toxicity and adverse events.

Zolpidem can be used in the management of insomnia but is associated with increased risks of life-threatening sleep behaviors hence should only be recommended in case there is no other safer alternative (Sateia et al., 2017). On the other hand, it was not appropriate to prescribe hydroxyzine, given it belongs to a similar class of drugs to diphenhydramine (antihistamines) which already displayed undesirable side effects which made the patient discontinue using the drug (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019; Yi et al., 2018).

Expected Outcome

            In about four weeks, the patient is expected to report to the hospital with significantly improved sleeping patterns (Sateia et al., 2017). He should be able to sleep adequately through the night, and exhibit improved concentration and energy levels the following morning (Grandner & Perlis, 2019).

Ethical Considerations

            When treating adult patients, the PMHNP needs to uphold the patient’s privacy and confidentiality. Consequently, the patient’s decision must be respected to uphold his autonomy.

Decision #2

Selected Decision and Rationale

            Looking at the reported treatment outcome after four weeks, it was necessary to reduce the trazodone dose to 25 mg orally at bedtime. The decision was mainly based on the reported side effect of prolonged erection the following morning (Madari et al., 2021). The patient displayed a positive outcome of the drug in managing his insomnia which is an indication of potential effectiveness (Sateia et al., 2017; Akinnusi & El Solh, 2019). Studies show that when used at low doses, the risks of potential side effects of trazodone such as priapism are normally reduced (Winkelman, 2015; Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019). Additionally, it has been reported that in case of self-limiting side effects like prolonged erection, reducing the dose will promote the side effect disappearing within a shorter time, hence promoting the patient’s tolerance to the medication (Yi et al., 2018).

Explaining to the patient that the reported side effect is not priapism and will resolve with time, without altering the dose was not necessary as this would promote worsening of the side effect (Grandner & Perlis, 2019; Yi et al., 2018). Consequently, stopping trazodone and starting suvorexant was also inappropriate given that the patient’s response within the two weeks displayed great adherence to the medication with only one self-limiting side effect, which does not qualify termination of the treatment therapy (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019).

Expected Outcome

            The reported side effects of prolonged erection in the morning are expected to diminish within the next 4 weeks upon reducing the dose to 25mg once daily (Sateia et al., 2017). The patient’s sleeping pattern is also expected to improve even further within this time (Yi et al., 2018).

Ethical Considerations

            With the obligation of preventing harm to the patient and respecting their autonomy, the PMHNP needed to consider the patient’s discomfort with the reported side effects of the drug (Grandner & Perlis, 2019). As such, it was necessary to observe ethical principles such as justice and nonmaleficence in promoting clinical decision which promotes using a lower dose of the drug, which is still effective to elicit desired effects (Madari et al., 2021).

Decision #3

Selected Decision and Rationale

            Looking at the available options in line with the reported outcome from the initial intervention, the last decision was to continue using the same drug, at the same frequency and dose and encourage sleep hygiene. The patient has displayed great adherence and tolerance to trazodone, as the previously reported side effect diminished (Winkelman, 2015). However, the dose was quite low, hence sometimes failing to help the patient sleep through the night. Studies show that at low doses, trazodone can take up to 8 to 12 weeks to completely help patients sleep through the night (Grandner & Perlis, 2019). Consequently, to avoid side effects associated with the use of several pharmacological agents, evidence supports the use of nonpharmacological interventions such as appropriate sleep hygiene to promote treatment outcomes (Sateia et al., 2017; Yi et al., 2018).

Replacing trazodone with ramelteon, which is a hypnotic was not necessary as the already displayed great tolerance and adherence to trazodone, and the latter is also associated with undesired cardiovascular side effects which might compromise the patient’s health (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019). As stated earlier, replacing trazodone with hydroxyzine was also inappropriate as hydroxyzine being an antihistamine would only lead to undesired side effects which might affect the patient’s compliance with the medication (Grandner & Perlis, 2019).

Expected Outcome

At this point, the patient is expected to attain an adequate amount of sleep every night with the adoption of appropriate sleep hygiene (Winkelman, 2015). No side effects are expected. Patient productivity at work is expected to improve due to improved quality of sleep (Yi et al., 2018).

Ethical Considerations

            Adult patients have the legal right of making sound decisions concerning their health. As such, the PMHNP must ensure that the patient is adequately acknowledged of the available treatment options, and the benefits and limitations of each choice (Grandner & Perlis, 2019). Respecting patient autonomy is also crucial in promoting trust and a positive care outcome (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019).

Conclusion

Several drugs have been recommended for the management of insomnia among adults. However, the decision on which medication to prescribe greatly depends on several patient-specific factors. The provided case demonstrates a young adult male patient with worsening insomnia. The patient was initially taking phenylhydrazine for the management of his insomnia but did not like the way it made him feel the following morning. Out of the available options, the first decision was to start the patient on trazodone 50mg orally every night. The drug has been approved by the FDA for the management of depression, but due to its tolerance and great effectiveness in the management of chronic insomnia, it is frequently prescribed doff label (Winkelman, 2015). Zolpidem and hydroxyzine were thus neglected due to their increased risks of toxicity (Martsenkovskyi & Napryeyenko, 2019). After two weeks, the patient came back to the hospital complaining of prolonged erection the following morning, but with well-managed insomnia (Akinnusi & El Solh, 2019). This outcome led to the second decision which was to reduce the dose of the drug to 25 mg every night (Yi et al., 2018). Discontinuing the drug and initiating suvorexant instead was not appropriate due to associated safety risks (Madari et al., 2021).

The patient reported that the side effect diminished after 2 weeks, but the dose was quite low to keep him asleep through the night. As such, the final decision was to continue using the same drug at the same dose and consider sleep hygiene to promote the treatment outcome (Sateia et al., 2017). In each decision process, the PMHNP was forced to observe several ethical principles including justice, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and observing the patient’s privacy and confidentiality (Grandner & Perlis, 2019). The patient was also adequately informed about each decision process, in terms of all the available options with their benefits and limitations.

 

 

References

Akinnusi, M., & El Solh, A. A. (2019). Drug treatment strategies for insomnia in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 20(6), 691–699.

Grandner, M. A., & Perlis, M. L. (2019). Pharmacotherapy for Insomnia Disorder in Older Adults. JAMA Network Open, 2(12), e1918214. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.18214

Madari, S., Golebiowski, R., Mansukhani, M. P., & Kolla, B. P. (2021). Pharmacological Management of Insomnia. Neurotherapeutics.

Martsenkovskyi, D., & Napryeyenko, O. (2019). P.818 Adjunctive therapy with trazodone for insomnia in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 29, S543–S544.

Sateia, M. J., Buysse, D. J., Krystal, A. D., Neubauer, D. N., & Heald, J. L. (2017). Clinical Practice Guideline for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Insomnia in Adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(02), 307–349.

Winkelman, J. W. (2015). Insomnia Disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(15), 1437–1444.

Yi, X., Ni, S., Ghadami, M. R., Meng, H., Chen, M., Kuang, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., & Zhou, X. (2018). Trazodone for the treatment of insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep Medicine, 45, 25–32.

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