There were only a few safety concerns regarding my patient’s medications. The main safety concern I have for this patient is in regards to Methylphenidate because some of the adverse reactions are anxiety and depression which are the two main diagnoses for this patient. This can be dangerous for the patient if they are unaware of the side effects because they may not know to notify someone if their depression or anxiety worsen. Another safety concern I would address with the patient is the risk for abuse of methylphenidate. I would address this concern by getting family history to see if there is a risk for abuse of medications. The safety concerns are not related to her age, and she understands the concerns so knows how to look for signs and symptoms of them. The patient knows why she is on each medication which is important to make sure she takes them consistently. Two of my patient’s medication are similar but are both necessary for her treatment. The patient recognizes that they are similar but act on different aspects of her diagnoses. There are not serious medication interactions happening with her medications.
It can be very complicated when working with a patient who has multiple mental health diagnoses as each drug can assist one diagnosis while potentially worsening another. Great catch