Discussion
The patient case chosen for the assessment is the case of a sixty-seven-year-old male who reported continuous coughing that has been getting worse. Moreover, the patient requested an over-the-counter cough medicine that does not contain alcohol since he has been from alcohol for more than fifteen years. First, it is important to ask additional questions before making a recommendation. Such questions will include the following:
- Are there any particular circumstances with the presence of which your cough exasperates?
- Have you ever treated cough yourself? If yes, what medicine did you take?
- Are you willing to undergo a lung scan to see whether there are any damages in your lungs? (“Lung scan,” 2017).
It is recommended for the patient to take Tessalon Perles (benzonatate), which is a cough medicine that does not contain alcohol and thus is suitable for safe drug use for recovering addicts or alcoholics (Ridgeview Institute, 2012). Benzonatate is a non-narcotic medicine that works by numbing the throat and lungs and thus mitigating the cough reflex. The dosage recommended for the patient is one 100 mg capsule taken three times a day to relieve coughing; if the patient does not experience relief, the dosage might be taken up to two 100 mg capsules three times a day (totaling 600 mg a day) (“Benzonatate (Rx)”, 2017).
Tessalon Perles is an over-the-counter medication that ranges in price from $8.20 (with a coupon) to $33.70 for thirty capsules depending on the pharmacy. It was prescribed to relieve the burden of constant cough that patient experiences. However, since the patient reported smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for twenty-five years, it is possible that cough is an indicator of a more severe health problem that should be diagnosed and treated (Wick, 2014).
References
Benzonatate (Rx). (2017).
Lung scan. (2017).
Ridgeview Institute. (2012). Safe drug use for the recovering addict or alcoholic. Web.
Wick, Y. (2014). Cough? Is it cancer?.