Nursing Implications: Efficacy and Safety - Essay Example

The exact mechanism of the action of this during is not fully understood but is believed that it helps in reducing food intake, leading to weight loss (Taylor, et al, 2013). Lorcaserin was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012.

Core Patient Variables

Health Status: Patients with moderate renal or hepatic impairments do not have to make dosing adjustments. Patients with severe renal disease are not supposed to use Lorcaserin.

Life span and gender: Lorcaserin can be used by both men and women. The mean recommended age for use is 18-65 years.

Lifestyle: Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of between 27 and 45kg/m2 are recommended to use the drug. In addition, Lorcaserin is used by patients exhibiting at least one weight-related health problem such as hypertension and type-2 diabetes.

Nursing implications: Efficacy and safety

In 2006, Phase III of the lorcaserin development program was started, and this involved three main trials: Behavioral Modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesity Management (BLOOM) trial, Behavioral Modification and Lorcaserin Second Study for Obesity Management (BLOSSOM) trial, and the Behavioral Modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesity Management in Diabetes Mellitus (BLOOM-DM) trial (Bays, 2011). In general, all these trials showed that the participants showed weight reduction of between 5 and 10%. In all these trials, weight loss was observed after 52 weeks from the period of administering the drug. Overall, this drug has been found to be effective in reducing weight in patients with and without type-2 diabetes (Bays, 2011). In addition, the three trials also revealed that most of the patients involved in the study were satisfied with the performance of the drug. Since lorcaserin appears to be ell received by both patients and clinicians, it does offer an alternative to surgery.

Despite the impressive results noted in the trials, a number of side effects are associated with the use of lorcaserin. These include headache, nausea, dizziness, upper respiratory tract infections, and nasopharyngitis (DiNicolantonio, et al 2014). In addition, there is concern that the use of lorcaserin is associated with increased incidences of depression. There is a need for further analysis and understanding of the degree to which lorcaserin contributes to these side effects and how they can be minimized.