General Pharmacology

Question 1

What are the adverse effects of quinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin etc)

Answer 1

Lower seizure threshold
Tendon damage and rupture
Prolongs QT interval

Question 2

What transporter do thiazide diuretics work on?

Answer 2

Sodium and chloride co transporter at the beginning of the distal convoluted tubule to block sodium reuptake.

Question 3

Which drugs commonly cause drug induced urticaria?

Answer 3

Aspirin
Pencillin
NSAIDs
Opiates

Question 4

What is meant by first pass metabolism?

Answer 4

A phenomenon where the concentration of a drug is greatly reduced before it reached the systemic circulation due to hepatic metabolism - this means that much larger doses are needed if it is given orally compared to by other routes. Examples include - aspirin, GTN, propanolol, isoprenaline and hydrocortisone

Question 5

What is meant by zero order kinetics?

Answer 5

Metabolism which is independant of the concentration of he reactant - this is due to metabolic pathways becoming saturated - this results in a constant amount of drug being eliminated per unit time. Examples include phenytoin, heparin and ethanol

Question 6

What is meant by acetylator status and what drugs are affected by this?

Answer 6

50& of the UK population are deficient in hepatic N acetyltransferase and this affects the breakdown of certain drugs for example isoniazid, procainamide, hydralazine, dapsone and sulfasalazine

Question 7

What is DRESS syndrome?

Answer 7

Drug reaction with eosinophillia and systemic syndromes. An unexpected severe reaction to medication.
Symptoms include - skin rash, fever and organ dysfunction. Symptoms usually occur 2 - 8 weeks after starting a drug. Drugs that are known to cause this are allopurinol, antiepileptics, HIV treatment, antibiotics and NSAUDS