Identify a patient case from your professional past that was pharmacologically challenging: Pharmacology for practitioner Paramedics Assignment, UCC, Ireland

For your assignment, we would like you to identify a patient case from your professional past that was pharmacologically challenging.  Provide a brief description of the case, focusing on pharmacological details (not on clinical details), as illustrated below in a simplified example. We anticipate/expect that pharmacologically challenging cases involve polypharmacy, focusing on two drugs (prescription and/or recreational) most relevant to the case. We encourage you to identify and discuss a case that is uncommon and challenging from a pharmacological perspective, and therefore, more interesting than the example below, which is rather textbook.  Please note: the emphasis of the assignment is on the pharmacological aspects of the case.

• Firstly, you will need to identify and provide a brief description of a case (without clinical details) indicating the drugs involved. (Consult with your Co-ordinator on suitability of the case).

• Describe the pharmacology of two drugsmost relevant to the patient case, i.e.

• the pharmacology of each drug, ie. pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties of each drug and relevant side effects/adverse effects associated with each drug

• reasons why this case (of polypharmacy) was pharmacologically challenging: i.e. explain the effects of the drug combination, which may relate for example, to drug interactions, additive drug effects, synergistic drug effects.

• pharmacological implications for the patient (increased/decreased drug effects, adverse effects) •

Include comprehensive and correct in-text referencing and a bibliography in your written assignment (based on information sources used). It is possible but not required, to include suggestion(s) for pharmacological response or management (in broad terms) to the situation. This should be concise and limited to the underlying pharmacological principle of these responses (not on clinical detail) and restricted to modulation of the effects caused by the drugs, not to general supportive care.  However, please note that suggestions for a rational pharmacological response or management are not always possible. It is more important to explain why the situation was pharmacologically challenging than making suggestions for a response.