Pharmacotherapy: Medication Avoidance

PMHNP Certification Q & A · Dec 3, 2025 · 7m

A 67-year-old female is being evaluated for complaints of depression. She has always struggled with times where she was down but never liked taking medication and has tried to treat herself with nutraceuticals. Her symptoms have gotten much worse lately because her husband died and she is struggling with that. She has been seeing a therapist for the last few months but is not feeling any real improvement.

When considering pharmacotherapy for her, which of the following medications should be avoided?

A. Sertraline (Zoloft)

B. Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

C. Escitalopram (Lexapro)

D. Citalopram…