Clinical Pharmacology Flashcards
What are the functions of the kidneys?
- Excretion of metabolic waste products
- Regulation of extracellular volume
- Regulation of ionic concentration
- Regulation of physiological pH
- The metabolism of a small number of drugs such as insulin and vit D
- Excretion of active drugs or their metabolites
What will there be a rapid build up of if renal function is impaired?
- Active drug
- Toxic or active metabolites
What type of drugs do not present a problem in renal impairment?
Drug or metabolites which have a high therapeutic index or low toxicity such as benzylpenicillin
What can drugs/metabolites which have a narrow therapeutic index cause in renal impairment?
Toxicity or death
What can gentamicin cause?
Renal or ototoxicity
What can digoxin cause?
Arrhythmia, nausea or death
What can lithium cause?
Renal toxicity and death
What can tacrolimus cause?
Renal and CNS toxicity
What may dramatically influence the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of the drugs?
Renal function
Why do we worry about renal impairment in people in hospital?
- Sick
- Volume depleted
- Hypotensive
- Prescribed a large number of potentially reno-toxic agents
- All factors interact to generate de novo renal impairment or worsen pre existing renal impairment/toxicity
What are the 3 mechanisms of renal excretion?
- Glomerular filtration
- Passive tubular reabsorption
- Active tubular secretion
What will changes in mechanisms of renal excretion due to disease, age or drug therapy change?
Will automatically change drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
Why does renal impairment prolong the half life of certain drugs?
- All drugs and their metabolites are filtered at the glomerulus
- Renal impairment will therefore prolong the half life of all drugs or their metabolites cleared by this route
What care needs to be taken due to the prolonged half life of drugs in renal impairment?
Prolongation of half-life means that extra care must be taken when using drugs with a low therapeutic index in the presence of renal impairment
Give examples of high half-life differs for certain drugs in renal impairment
- Benzylpen 0.5h>8h
- Gentamicins 2.5h>50h
- Atenolol 6h>100h
- Digoxin 36h>120h
- Glibenclamide 10h>100h
- Chlopropramide 36h>200h
What does a reduction in GFR result in?
- Reduced clearance of drugs by the kidney resulting in accumulation
- Protein binding is reduced
What must be carried out during drug administration in someone with reduced GFR clearance?
- Reduce dosage
- Increased dose interval
- TDM monitor blood levels for toxic drugs like gentamicin, lithium, digoxin and vancomycin
In what ways does renal disease alter the actions of drugs on the tissues?
- The blood brain barrier becomes more permeable and the brain becomes more sensitive to tranquillisers, sedatives and opiates
- Circulatory volume may be reduced making the patient sensitive to antihypertensive agents ACEIs or a-blockers
- There may be an increased tendency to bleed beware warfarin or NSAIDs
How can the direct nephrotoxic actions of drugs be described in patients with renal disease?
Synergistic
When will gentamicin toxicity be unmasked?
When used in conjunction with furosemide or lithium
How can renal impairment alter pharmacokinetics?
- Increase t1/2
- Build up of drugs or metabolites
- Decreases in protein binding. So more free drug available
How can renal impairment alter pharmacodynamics?
- Increased sensitivity to pharmacological action
- Increased sensitivity to toxicity and ADRs
How can renal impairment affect combined therapies?
Can increase the sensitivity to the toxic effects of combined therapy
What do we need to know about drugs before administering them to patients with renal impairment?
- Drugs which can be safely used with decreased eGFR
- Drugs which have a narrow therapeutic index may present problems
What considerations need to be made when prescribing in impaired renal function?
- Risk/benefit ratio
- Severity of possible side effects
- Severity of toxicity
- The availability of TDM
Ideally if a patient suffers from renal impairment we should use drugs which:
- Have a high therapeutic index
- Are metabolised by the liver with production of non-toxic metabolites