Danielle Young Bear FEEDBACK LOG

Danielle Young Bear FEEDBACK LOG/ This scenario presents a 32-year-old Native American female at an outpatient clinic with a persistent cold. The patient is taking prescription medication for chronic low back pain and depression, but she is also self-medicating with overthe-counter medication for her cough and using herbal therapies. [newline]Pain relievers (analgesics) are generally effective for nociceptive pain but may be less effective for neuropathic pain.[newline] The use of analgesics (pain relievers) and other medications is the most common method of chronic pain treatment. Pain medications can be helpful for some patients in chronic pain, but they are not universally effective. In fact, in some individuals, pain medications may actually worsen their symptoms over time or cause unwanted or dangerous side effects. [newline][newline]The best available evidence advocates for the use of an antidepressant along with analgesics for chronic back pain. Antidepressants (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI)) help manage chronic pain in nondepressed people as for those with depression. They do not work equally well for all types of pain. Antidepressants tend to be helpful for fibromyalgia, headache, and pain due to nerve (''neuritic'') damage (e.g., diabetic neuropathy), generally they are less helpful for most acute musculoskeletal sportstype injuries.[newline][newline]By increasing levels of chemicals (norepinephrine and serotonin) at nerve endings, antidepressants appear to strengthen the system that inhibits pain transmission. Antidepressants that increase norepinephrine seem to have better pain-relieving capabilities than those that increase serotonin. Many antidepressants act as sedatives to promote a good night's sleep. Sleep deprivation is often one of the major obstacles in coping with chronic pain. Antidepressants help relieve anxiety and panic attacks and increase the effect of other pain-relieving drugs or analgesics.[newline] Students will be expected to perform medication reconciliation and recognize interactions between prescribed medications and additional over-the-counter and herbal medications taken by the patient at home. Also students should calculate the maximum daily amount of over-the-counter analgesic medications, and educate the patient about pain