Psychiatric nursing | Nursing homework help
When it comes to pharmacodynamics, age-specific differences in receptor sensitivity also need to be considered since elderly individuals may have decreased responses to certain medications due to decreased receptor numbers or altered receptor affinity. Furthermore, polypharmacy is a common issue among older adults that needs to be taken into account since multiple medications can interact with each other leading to increased risk for adverse effects.
Overall, it is important for healthcare providers to assess all potential contributing factors before prescribing antidepressants in order to optimize therapeutic outcomes while minimizing potential risks.