CPTP4 Flashcards
define adverse drug reaction
any response to a drug which is noxious, unintended and occurs at doses used for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy
define medication error
any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm
how does the human medicines regulations categories medical substance?
- prescription- only medicines
- registered medical practitioners can do all
- midwives, nurses and pharmacists can do some
- patient group directions - pharmacy
- pharmacists can give - general sales list
- anyone
how are pharmacy medicines released from the POM category?
- must be appropriate to self diagnose
- small chance of causing harm
- no chance of dependence
- cant be parental or eye admin
what does ‘controlled’ mean in the context of medicines?
controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. they are categorized into class (how harmful is it?) and schedules
what 3 criteria could mean a substance becomes controlled?
misuse may result in psychological, physical or social harm
in the misuse of drugs act, what does the schedule determine?
requirements for wholesale, storage, prescription etc.
schedule 1: no medical use
cant have/ use without a licence e.g. cannabis
schedule 2: medical use
controlled drug prescription and special arrangement for storage e.g. diamorphine
what is a named patient drug?
a drug that might have been discontinued from marketing regulations etc. but you can keep prescribing it for a person who’s been on it for a long time
what extra information must you put when prescribing a controlled substance?
total quantity in both words and figures
define tolerance
high dose required to achieve same response
physical dependence
develops when neurons adapt to repeated drug exposure and only function normally in the presence of the drug. therefore withdrawal precipitates unpleasant physiological effects
psychological dependence
emotional need for a drug that has no underlying physical need
what is the %UK lifetime prevalence of drug misuse?
35%
how many deaths are there in the UK per year as a result of drug misuse? population distribution?
~2000
males >females
highest in 35-44 yo
NE england highest
which illegal drugs are responsible for the most deaths in the UK?
opioids
define therapeutic drug monitoring
individualisation of dosage by maintaining plasma/ blood drug concentration within a target range
3 ways therapeutic drug monitoring is carried out and examples.
- monitoring plasma/ blood drug conc.
- measuring clinical response (e.g. how much angina)
- measuring the pharmacodynamic effect (e.g. effect of insulin on blood glucose)
why should gentamicin be closely monitored?
narrow therapeutic window : ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity
three examples of drugs that indicate monitoring of plasma drug conc.?
digoxin
phenytoin (anti-epileptic)
gentamicin
what is the most common cause of iatrogenic disease?
adverse drug reactions (occur in 20% of hospital admissions)
3 adverse reactions to prednisolone?
hyperglycaemia
GI complications
OP
three example of augmented drug reactions?
insulin -> hypos
warfarin -> bleeding
nitrates -> headaches (vasodilation)
which drug is antagonistic to salbutamol?
B-blockers
how can antacids interact with other drugs?
decrease stomach acidity so more drug ionisation
this means it cannot be absorbed as fast
(the opposite is true for drugs that increase stomach acidity