I am changing my topic for my case presentation. I figured since my project is on weight management on patients who are taking antipsychotic medications, this case presentation would make more sense. My topic will be integrative approach to obesity with age group between 18-65 year-old. One of the most common side effect of antipsychotic medications is weight gain. Patients who are taking antipsychotic medications are at risk for shorter life expectancy because of diseases associated with obesity. Diseases associated with obesity are hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, some cancers, gallstone formation, fatty liver, gastroesophageal reflux, menstrual abnormalities, infertility, stress incontinence, gout, carpal tunnel, knees and back pain. Providers are using the body mass index (BMI) to categorize their patients, and BMI between 25 to 30 are overweight and above 30 are obese. Measurement of waist circumference is also use to categorize patients and more valuable measurement than the BMI. Patients who have bigger waist circumference are at higher risk for diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Males with 40 inches waist circumference and women with 35 inches are more at risk for disease associated with obesity. Since there are many diseases associated with obesity, reducing weight gain can help healthcare providers alleviate diseases associated with obesity. According to Littrell, Hilligoss, Kirshner, Petty, and Johnson (2003), diet, exercise, and educational intervention to manage weight have resulted in positive outcomes. Furthermore, reducing weight gain will improve quality of life. Lifestyle modification is the most important intervention to manage weight regardless of BMI (Rakel, 2018). However, for those who are more overweight, a more aggressive intervention such as medications and close monitoring by a healthcare provider may be necessary (Rakel, 2018). For those patients who are taking medications to manage their weight should be more careful and should seek professional assistance due to drug misuse and can lead to other health problems. Since many medications are not easily accessible in the United States, many crosses the border to obtain the medications that they do not know anything about.
Diaz, M., Doucette, S., & Jaworski, T. (2016). Weight Gain Associated with Antipsychotic Medications: Interventions to Reduce Risks of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Schizophrenia.
Rakel, D. (2018). Integrative medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
Littrell, K., Hilligoss, N., Kirshner, C., Petty, R., & Johnson, C. (2003). Clinical scholarship. The effects of an educational intervention on antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, 35(3), 237-241. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2003.00237.x