Category: Therapeutics

Diabetes Mellitus: Part 3 – Understanding Health Advice and Treatment Options

In this final post, I examine the rationale behind the “do’s & don’ts” of diabetic health promotion, and provide resources for you to find out more about any pharmacotherapy your service users may be prescribed.     Health Promotion When managing Type 2 diabetes (DM2), health promotion is arguably the most important of interventions: not only can it help to reduce

Depot Vs. Oral Antipsychotic Efficacy

A recent paper has been published in JAMA Psychiatry. It compares the efficacy of different antipsychotic medications, and the route by which they’re given, and I believe it’s reserach that’s well-worth knowing about. If you would like to see the article first-hand, there is a link to it at the bottom of this page. However,

Serious Adverse Effects: Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome puts a name to a phenomenon we will all be familiar with as RMNs. It’s both a life-threatening and commonplace adverse effect of commonly-used mental health medications. However, nurses can encourage a range of interventions to significantly reduce the likelihood of it developing. In other words, RMNs need to know about metabolic syndrome.

Serious Adverse Effects: Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

Learn about the signs and symptoms of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS), what causes it, who is most at risk from developing it, how to manage it, and what it has to do with the purple patches in the picture here. Imagine this scenario: There has been a new admission to an acute ward. The service

Serious Adverse Effects: Acute Dystonic Reaction

You are probably very familiar with giving PRN Procyclidine to help patients with extrapyrimidal side effects… but it is worth knowing that occasionally dystonic reactions can be so severe, they can be life-threatening. This post should help you: Identify those most at risk of acute dystonic reaction Understand and identify what are the most life-threatening

Serious Adverse Effects: Agranulocytosis / Neutropenia

Learn about different types of white blood cell, the range of things that can cause agranulocytosis, what the symptoms of agranulocytosis are, and view Trust guidelines on how to manage clozapine.   You’ll know that clozapine can cause agranulocytosis and neutropenia, but unless you work in a Clozapine Clinic, you may not know what these

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