Adverse Drug Reactions and Medication Errors

Question 0

Problems with ADRs

Answer 0

Mild reactions: drowsiness, nausea, itching, and rash; Severe reactions (potentially fatal): respiratory depression, neutropenia, hepatocellular injury, hemorrhage
-Most common in the elderly and very young; risk increased by severe illness

Question 1

Adverse drug reaction

Answer 1

Any noxious, unintended, and undesired effect that occurs at normal drug doses; excludes excessive dosages. Can range from annoying to life-threatening

Question 2

Terms related to adverse drug reactions

Answer 2

Side effect, toxicity, allergic reaction, idiosyncratic effect, iatrogenic disease, physical dependence, carcinogenic effect, teratogenic effect

Question 3

Side effect

Answer 3

A nearly unavoidable secondary drug effect produced at therapeutic doses; may develop soon after drug is initiated or not until drug has been taken for weeks or months

Question 4

Toxicity

Answer 4

Adverse drug reaction caused by excessive dosing; may occur even with normal dosing

Question 5

Allergic reaction

Answer 5

Immune response; determined primarily by the degree of sensitization of the immune system, not by drug dose. Pt’s sensitivity to a drug can change over time

Question 6

Idiosyncratic effect

Answer 6

Uncommon drug response resulting from a genetic predisposition

Question 7

Iatrogenic disease

Answer 7

“A disease produced by a physician”; used to refer to a disease produced by drugs; sometimes also called drug-induced disease. Essentially identical to naturally occurring pathology

Question 8

Physical dependence

Answer 8

Develops during long-term use of certain drugs; a state in which the body has adapted to drug exposure in such a way that an abstinence syndrome will result if drug use is discontinued

Question 9

Carcinogenic effect

Answer 9

Only a few therapeutic agents are carcinogenic; several drugs used to treat cancer are among those with the greatest carcinogenic potential

Question 10

Teratogenic effect

Answer 10

Drug-induced birth defect

Question 11

Organ specific toxicity

Answer 11

Drugs toxic to specific organs (ie. amphotericin B - kidneys)

Question 12

Boxed Warnings

Answer 12

Black box warnings; strongest safety warning a drug can carry and still remain on the market. Concise summary of the adverse effects of concern, text is presented inside a box with a heavy black border