Drug Therapy

Question 1

What does the drug baclofen do?

Answer 1

It reduces spasticity (used in MND)

Question 2

What does the drug herapin do?

Answer 2

Reduces risk of deep vein thrombosis

Question 3

What are the 5 stages of the life cycle of a drug?

Answer 3

1. Administration
2. Absorption
3. Distribution
4. Metabolism
5. Elimination

Question 4

What is administration?

Answer 4

How and where the drug is introduced to the body

Question 5

What is absorption?

Answer 5

How the drug moves into the body tissue from the administration site

Question 6

What is systemic absorption?

Answer 6

Absorption into the bloodstream

Question 7

What is local absorption?

Answer 7

Absorption into cells/tissues adjacent to the administration site

Question 8

What is distribution?

Answer 8

How the drug travels to the target site

Question 9

What is metabolism?

Answer 9

How the drug is chemically altered in the body. Some drugs need to be altered before they can perform their intended action (e.g. L-dopa), others are altered after they have performed their action in order to render them inactive

Question 10

What is elimination?

Answer 10

How the drug is removed from the body

Question 11

What does parenteral mean?

Answer 11

Administered by injection

Question 12

What is intravenous?

Answer 12

Into a vein

Question 13

What is intramuscular?

Answer 13

Into a muscle

Question 14

What is subcutaneous?

Answer 14

Beneath the skin

Question 15

What is intrathecal?

Answer 15

Into CSF space around the spine

Question 16

Where are most orally administered drugs absorbed?

Answer 16

In the small intestine (may begin in the mouth or stomach)

Question 17

How long can an intravenous cannula be left in place

Answer 17

A few days

Question 18

Why do you need a smaller dose of a drug administered intravenously?

Answer 18

Because it is bypassing the intestinal wall and liver, avoiding metabolism at these points

Question 19

Why would you administered intravenously?

Answer 19

If someone couldn’t take anything by mouth
If you need a drug administered rapidly
Is drug absorption via the oral route is poor or unreliable

Question 20

Why would you administer something subcutaneously?

Answer 20

For drugs that would be rendered inactive if given orally (e.g. insulin for diabetes)

Question 21

What is bioavailability?

Answer 21

The amount and speed of drug arrival at target site

Question 22

What is a drug half life?

Answer 22

The amount of time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to be reduced by half (determines dosing interval)

Question 23

What is the loading dose?

Answer 23

Often a large dose of something is given to start so that the drug level gets into the correct range as quickly as possible

Question 24

What is the maintaining dose?

Answer 24

Dose to keep within the therapeutic level

Question 25

What is a steady state?

Answer 25

Drug levels remaining fairly construct within the therapeutic window

Question 26

What is titrating?

Answer 26

Adjusting the dose up or down

Question 27

What the two ways of drug monitoring?

Answer 27

Measuring blood drug levels | Looking at physiological effects of the drug (indirect)

Question 28

What is an enteric coating?

Answer 28

A special coating for tablets and capsules that does not dissolve in the acidic environment of the stomach (but will in the small intestine)

Question 29

Why are controlled release preparations good?

Answer 29

Allow for less frequent doses and less rapid rise of drug in blood levels

Question 30

Where do water-soluble drugs tend to stay?

Answer 30

In blood and extra cellular fluid

Question 31

Where do fat soluble drugs tend to stay and what are they better at?

Answer 31

Tend to stay in fatty tissue - better at cross cell membranes quickly (possible better at crossing the blood brain barrier)

Question 32

What is the main site of drug metabolism?

Answer 32

The liver

Question 33

Why do infants and older adults need lower drug doses?

Answer 33

Less enzyme activity

Question 34

Most common methods of elimination?

Answer 34

Kidney Liver (Some in saliva, air, breast milk)

Question 35

What does an agonist do?

Answer 35

Mimics shape of naturally occurring molecules

Question 36

What does an antagonist do?

Answer 36

Blocks receptors

Question 37

The less selective a drug, the more likely it is to....

Answer 37

Cause unwanted side effects

Question 38

Testing in how many animals before human trials?

Answer 38

2

Question 39

What are the 4 stages of a clinical trial?

Answer 39

1. Testing in healthy volunteers (dose-related stuff) 2. People with particular disease (effectiveness and side effects) 3. Large number of patients for efficacy and safety in detail 4. After the licence is granted - evaluation of unexpected side effects

Question 40

Example of antiplatelet medication?

Answer 40

Aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole

Question 41

Function of anti-hyper intensive medication?

Answer 41

Lower blood pressure

Question 42

Example of anticoagulant

Answer 42

Warfarin

Question 43

Example of cholesterol lowering medication?

Answer 43

Simvastitin

Question 44

Medication of epilepsy?

Answer 44

Anticonvulsant