Hormone Replacement Therapy
Order Instructions:
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
In recent years, hormone replacement therapy has become a controversial issue. When prescribing therapies, advanced practice nurses must weigh the strengths and limitations of the prescribed supplemental hormones. If advanced practice nurses determine that the limitations outweigh the strengths, then they might suggest alternative treatment options such as herbs or other natural remedies, changes in diet, and increase in exercise.
Consider the following scenario:
As an advanced practice nurse at a community health clinic, you often treat female (and sometimes male patients) with hormone deficiencies. One of your patients requests that you prescribe supplemental hormones. This poses the questions: How will you determine what kind of treatment to suggest? What patient factors should you consider? Are supplemental hormones the best option for the patient, or would they benefit from alternative treatments?
To prepare:
• Review Chapter 56 of the Arcangelo and Peterson text, as well as the Holloway and Makinen and Huhtaniemi articles in the Learning Resources.
• Review the provided scenario and reflect on whether or not you would support hormone replacement therapy.
• Locate and review additional articles about research on hormone replacement therapy for women and/or men. Consider the strengths and limitations of hormone replacement therapy.
• Based on your research of the strengths and limitations, again reflect on whether or not you would support hormone replacement therapy.
• Consider whether you would prescribe supplemental hormones or recommend alternative treatments to patients with hormone deficiencies.
ASSIGNMENT PAPER
WRITE:
1) A description of the strengths and limitations of hormone replacement therapy.
2). Based on these strengths and limitations, explain why you would or why you would not support hormone replacement therapy.
3). Explain whether you would prescribe supplemental hormones or recommend alternative treatments to patients with hormone deficiencies and why.
Readings/Recommended References (you may choose your own textbook or article for this paper
Arcangelo, V. P., & Peterson, A. M. (Eds.). (2013). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (3rd ed.). Ambler, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
o Chapter 33, “Prostatic Disorders and Erectile Dysfunction” (pp. 481–495)
This chapter examines the causes, pathophysiology, and drug treatment of four disorders: prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction. It also explores the importance of monitoring patient response and patient education.
o Chapter 34, “Overactive Bladder” (pp. 496–511)
this chapter describes the causes, pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, and evaluation of overactive bladder. It also outlines the process of initiating, administering, and managing drug treatment for this disorder.
o Chapter 55, “Contraception” (pp. 874–883)
this chapter examines various methods of contraception and covers drug interactions, selecting the most appropriate agent, and monitoring patient response to contraceptions.
o Chapter 56, “Menopause and Menopausal Hormone Therapy” (pp. 884–895)
this chapter presents various options for menopausal hormone therapy and examines the strengths and limitations of each form of therapy.
o Chapter 57, “Osteoporosis” (pp. 896–903)
this chapter covers various options for treating osteoporosis. It also describes proper dosages, potential adverse reactions, and special considerations of each drug.
o Chapter 58, “Vaginitis” (pp. 904–915)
this chapter examines various causes of vaginitis and explores the diagnostic criteria and methods of treatment for the disorder.
• Holloway, D. (2010). Clinical update on hormone replacement therapy. British Journal of Nursing, 19(8), 496–504.
Retrieved from a Collage Library databases.
This article examines the purpose, components, and administration of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It also presents benefits, risks, potential side effects, and alternative treatment options of HRT.
• Mäkinen, J. I., & Huhtaniemi, I. (2011). Androgen replacement therapy in late-onset hypogonadism: Current concepts and controversies—A mini-review. Gerontology, 57(3), 193–202.
Retrieved from a Collage Library databases.
This article examines the role of testosterone levels in the development of hypogonadism. It also explores health issues that are impacted by testosterone levels and the role of testosterone replacement therapy.
• Drugs.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.drugs.com/
this website presents a comprehensive review of prescription and over-the-counter drugs including information on common uses and potential side effects. It also provides updates relating to new drugs on the market, support from health professionals, and a drug-drug interactions checker.
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2012). Recommendations for adults. Retrieved from http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/adultrec.htm
this website lists various preventive services available for men and women and provides information about available screenings, tests, preventive medication, and counseling.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Introduction
In their line of their duty, advanced practice nurse (APN) are confronted with issue of dispensing supplemental hormones to patients in hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, administration of supplemental hormones requires the APN to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the prescribed medication. Therefore, the following discussion will engage in reviewing some of these strengths and weaknesses of HRT. In addition, the paper will indulge to discuss why APN should not support HRT based on the strength and weaknesses of the practice. The paper will conclude by illustrating some of the alternative treatment to HRT for treating patients with hormone deficiencies.
Discussion
APNs use HRT to treat women who are going through menopause and those who had already gone through menopause (post-menopausal).HRT is commended by boosting the quality of life post-menopause and it relieves much of the varied unbearable menopausal symptoms. It also rejuvenates well-being of a woman by shielding her from feeling blue always. Estrogen used in HRT is significantly proved to enhanced short-term memory. Mäkinen & Huhtaniemi (2011) have concluded that there is distinct difference in short-term memory between women who had active ovaries or were on postmenopausal, as compared to menopausal women without HRT or ovaries (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013). Most importantly, HRT is presumably best bet against osteoporosis. This is because estrogen amplifies bone mass by catalyzing the activities of the functions of osteoclasts (a cell that eat old bone so that new bone can start to form). Finally, HRT is commended for its importance in reducing CVDs (cardiovascular diseases). This is brought in by the fact that estrogen enables lipid metabolism that plays a crucial role in preventing CVDs to affect the health status of a women-undergoing menopause.
However, limitations of HRT enter in the realm of the practice of HRT to challenge its strengths. One of these limitations is that it accelerates the risk of endometrial cancer, mostly when estrogen is dispensed without any progestin or progesterone (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013). Another limitation is that HRT increases the risk of blood clots, stroke, heart attack, ovarian cancer if taken together with progestin and oral estrogen (Mäkinen & Huhtaniemi, 2011). More to worry about is that women undergoing HRT may experience pain in their breasts, and to some extent may suffer bloating and fluid retention, nausea, depression, and other mood swings. Finally, women who take progestin and estrogen in cycles may experience monthly vaginal bleeding, or spotting when taken on daily purposes.
From the above analysis of strengths and weaknesses of HRT, APN should not support HRT. This is because its disadvantages are such serious as compared to its benefits. This is because repercussions from the treatment are adverse and may include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, stroke, blood pressure. This is incomparable to its benefits that include outliving hot flashes and night sweats as well as easing vaginal symptoms of menopause such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse. According to (Mäkinen & Huhtaniemi (2011), limitations will always arise whether estrogen is dispensed together with progestin and progesterone or not.
Considering the adverse effects of HRT, APN should prescribe alternatives to HRT for women with hormone deficiencies. These alternative treatments comprises of herbal medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, exercise and other modalities (Drugs.com, 2012). The reason why APN should recommend this alternatives to HRT rather that hormones supplements is because they offer a great help to alleviate most of the symptoms of menopause and guide a woman to health. In addition, this approach will assist women to accept changes that occur naturally in the menopause.
Conclusion
In summary, HRT is associated with strength and weaknesses. These aspects help APN to decide whether to dispense supplemental hormones to a woman. However, if the limitations outweigh the strengths, APN will result to use other alternative medications. Alternative treatment to HRT is to enable woman to accept the natural and physiological changes occurring in their body, rather than resulting to look for supplemental hormones.
References
Arcangelo, V. P., & Peterson, A. M. (Eds.). (2013).Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (3rd ed.). Ambler, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Drugs.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.drugs.com/
Mäkinen, J. I., & Huhtaniemi, I. (2011). Androgen replacement therapy in late-onset hypogonadism: Current concepts and controversies—A mini-review. Gerontology, 57(3), 193–202.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
