Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Disorders

Pharmacokinetics refers to the processes that the body subjects a drug to once it is introduced to the body. These processes include absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Pharmacodynamics, on the other hand, refers to the effects that drugs cause to the body, like the side effects of the drug. Both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are affected by factors such as the medical history of a patient, other medication that the patient is using, and patient characteristics, such as age and sex. From the given case study, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in Patient CB are affected by the medical history of the patient and the current drugs being taken.

Treatment for patients with cardiovascular disease is always a challenge due to many comorbidities involved. These require different drugs, which have different reactions and side effects. Moreover, these reactions are not usually uniform among all patients. Consequently, it is necessary to continually monitor the patient to avoid adverse drug reactions (Mangoni & Jarmuzewska, 2019). Patient CB has a history of stroke and is currently suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. All these conditions play a significant role in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Diabetes, for example, increases mycobacterial burden among some patients, which affects treatment (Alfarisi et al., 2018). Additionally, patients with diabetes mellitus have difficulties in excreting toxins from the kidney, which puts them at a heightened risk of developing diabetic nephropathy that can potentially complicate their treatment further.

The patient, however, is under a Glipizide 10 mg dosage, which helps to prevent kidney damage. Since patient CB is taking multiple medications and is suffering from diabetes, it is easy for toxins to accumulate in the body. Hypertension is another significant condition that affects pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Since patient CB is suffering from the condition, it is necessary to consider its effects and the significance of pharmacotherapy interventions (Oparil & Schmieder, 2015). For example, the patient is under Verapamil 180 mg CD daily dosage, which helps to lower blood pressure and prevent stroke (Mancia et al., 2014). The drug, however, has adverse effects on the body of the patient. It slows down the heartbeat rate and may cause severe liver damage and other mild effects, including headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

In treating the patient, it is necessary to consider the aforementioned side effects of the drugs. The patient is also under a Hydralazine 25 mg dosage, which is used in the treatment of high blood pressure. This drug’s pharmacodynamics is counter to that of Verapamil 180 mg. This is because it increases the heartbeat of the patient, while Verapamil 180 mg lowers the pulse (Flynn, Bradford, & Harvey, 2016). Such counter-reactions may be fatal to the patient and, therefore, using such drugs concurrently is ill-advised. Hyperlipidemia is another condition that is affecting patient CB, and which plays a critical role in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Hyperlipidemia means that the level of lipids (such as triglycerides and cholesterol) in the patient’s blood is very high. These lipids are deposited along blood vessels, restricting the flow of blood in the body.

The high levels of lipid in the blood predispose the patient to stroke or myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack (Navar-Boggan et al., 2015). The patient is under a Simvastatin 80 mg dosage to control the condition. However, this drug has negative effects on patients with diabetes. Therefore, administering Simvastatin 80 mg puts patient CB at risk because he is also suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. When prescribing drugs to patients with cardiovascular disease, the physician must pay close attention to all the variables involved to avoid adverse drug reactions. For Patient CB, his conditions complicate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics due to comorbidities.