Nutrition and Pharmacology Enhancement

This past semester I had the privilege of working with a close friend of mine and fellow honors student, Leah Eick on an honors enhancement project titled, Pharmacological and Nutritional Interactions. Leah and I worked closely on this project together throughout the duration of our nutrition and pharmacology courses. We were given the task of choosing five drugs and detailing their nutritional interactions with specific foods or perhaps other drugs.

Throughout this process, Leah and I researched the following drugs: Warfarin, an anticoagulant; Digoxin, a cardiac glycoside; Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker; Simvastatin, a statin; and Phenelzine, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

We researched in depth the action of each drug, its food interactions, the pathophysiology behind the reactions, and the signs and symptoms related to the reactions. In addition, we included examples of patient experiences related to these nutritional interactions with their prescribed medications, as well as educational interventions, techniques, and community resources that would assist patients in minimizing the effects of food-drug interactions.

Leah and I had a great time working on this project together! I believe that we learned a lot about each class of drug that we chose to research and now feel far more confident in explaining the drugs, the uses, and their nutritional interactions with patients in the healthcare setting. In addition, we found it very exciting to be able to take our knowledge from two distinct courses and put everything together into one project, as this is something we have been practicing throughout our time in the clinical setting.

Attached is a copy of our final presentation that we presented in front of our classmates and nursing faculty.