Adverse Drug Reactions Flashcards
Define tolerance
The need to use increased doses of a drug to maintain a clinical effect.
What can lead to tolerance of a drug?
Down-regulation
Up-regulation
Reduced responsitivity without alterations in receptor numbers
What is down-regulation?
Decreased sensitivity of target receptors due to decreased numbers due to agonists
What is up-regulation?
Increase in numbers of receptors due to antagonists
What is cross-tolerance?
When drugs with similar pharmacological actions can lead to tolerance of the other drug
What is reverse tolerance?
When sensitivity to a drug effect increases over time.
Give an e.g. of downregulation which leads to a therapeutic effect.
When SSRIs are used, the 5HT1A autoreceptors in somatodendritic zones undergo down-regulation secondary to increased serotonin availability when reuptake is blocked; this leads to increase in serotonergic tone of neurons.
Define withdrawl
When drugs are administered for reasonable period of time, physiological adaptation develops which on withdrawl of drug can get disturbed and leads to withdrawl symptoms.
What type of drug leads to withdrawl symptoms?
Abrupt withdrawl of treatment for an agent with short eliminatino half-life
Which has longer half-life; methadone or heroin?
Methadone
Why does methadone lead to less withdrawl than heroin?
Methadone has a longer half-life
Why does Paroxetine lead to withdrawl?
It has anticholinergic properties; withdrawl causes rebound symptoms
Paroxetine inhibitis its own metabolism via CYP2D6, so withdrawl leads to loss of inhibition, excessive paroxetine breakdown, sudden steep drop in levels and then withdrawl symptoms.
Why does Fluoxetine produce fewer withdrawl symptoms?
Its active metabolite, norfluoxetine, has a long half-life
What is the advice of benzodiazepine reducing regime?
10% dose reduction every 2 weeks.
Why must you wait 72 hours before prescribing naltrexone for an opioid detoxified patient?
Prescribing an antagonist can precipitate withdrawl symptoms.
Which cause more withdrawl; full or partial agonists?
Full
What kinetics do sustained release formulations affect?
Absorption kinetics
Do depot or oral preparations have more withdrawl potential?
Oral
Does XL or plan preparation of a drug lead to more withdrawl symptoms?
Neither; both same
Which receptors cause side effect of agitation?
Alpha 2 blockade
5HT2A/2C stimulation
DRI
Which receptors cause side effect of akathisia?
D2 blockade
5HT2A stimulation
Which receptors cause side effect of delirium?
Antimuscarinic
Which receptors cause side effect of EPSE?
D2 blockade reduces with 5HT2A antagonism
Which receptors cause side effect of hyperthermia?
Antimuscarinic action
In serotonin syndrome may be due to 5HT2A/2C.