Intentional and Unintentional Presentations Flashcards
1
Q
What are the most common drugs & ADRS causing hospital admission?
A
- NSAIDs - GI complications, cerebral haemorrhage, renal impairment, wheezing, rash
- Diuretics - renal impairment, hypotension, electrolyte disturbances, gout
- Warfarin - bleed
- ACE/AII inhibitors - renal impairment, hypotension, electrolyte disturbance (hyperkalaemia)
- beta blockers - bradycardia, heart block, hypotension, wheezing
- opiates - constipation, vomiting, confusing, urinary retention
- digoxin - toxicity
- prednisolone - GI complications, hyperglycaemia, osteoporotic fracture, worsening diabetes
- clopidogrel - GI bleeding
2
Q
What is an ‘augmented’ ADR?
A
- dose-related and predictable
- avoidable
- example
- insulin causing hypoglycaemia
- warfarin causing bleeding
- nitrates causing headache
3
Q
What is a ‘bizarre/idiosyncratic’ ADR?
A
- not dose-related
- not predictable
- examples
- penicillin: anapylaxis
- halothane: hepatitis
- chloramphenicol: agranulocytosis
- phenytoin: toxic epidermal necrolysis
4
Q
What is a ‘chronic treatment effect’ ADR?
A
- variable
- occur with prolonged but short duration treatment
- Examples
- osteoporosis with steroids
- steroid induced Cushing’s syndrome
- phenothiazine-induced tardive dyskinesia
- fenfluramine-induced pulmonary hypertension
5
Q
What is a ‘delayed effect’ ADR?
A
- variable
- occurs sometime after discontinuation of treatment
- example
- drug-induced foetal abnormalities
- drug-induced cancers (recipients or offspring)
6
Q
What is an ‘end-of-treatment’ ADR?
A
- variable
- effects occur on withdrawal of a drug
- examples
- adrenocortical insufficiency after steroid treatment
- drug withdrawal seizures
- withdrawal reactions following paroxetine
7
Q
What drugs cause gynaecomastia?
A
- Spironolactone
- Oestrogens
- Methyldopa
- Digoxin
8
Q
What drugs cause galactorrhoea?
A
- Antipsychotics
- Tricyclics
- Metoclopramide
- Oestrogens
- Methyldopa
9
Q
How do you avoid anaphylaxis in patients?
A
- Take a careful drug history
- Inform other health professionals
- Record allergies
- Hospital and GP notes
- Drug charts
- Check with patient before administering drugs
- Inject first dose slowly
- Particular care in atopic subjects
10
Q
How do you avoid adverse drug reactions?
A
- Only prescribe when there is a clear indication
- Use drug with most favourable risk-benefit
- Check with patient for previous ADRs / Allergy
- Careful patient education
- Appropriate use of drug
- Common and/or important adverse effects (look up in BNF or Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC)
- Monitor therapy
- Particular care in susceptible patients
11
Q
What are the objectives of pharmacovigilance?
A
- Identify previously unrecognised hazards
- Evaluate changes in risks and benefits
- Take action to promote safer use
- Provide optimal information to users
12
Q
What is the yellow card scheme?
A
- Means by which suspicions that an ADR has occurred may be collated
- Voluntary - relies on co-operation of healthcare professionals.
- Patients can only report side-effects
- Purpose is early identification of previously unrecognised safety hazards
-
All drugs included - focus on:
- Serious ADRs
- Reactions in children
- New drugs (black triangle)
- Around 18,000 reports per year
- Data from the scheme made available publicity on Yellow Card website as drug analysis prints.
- There is an app available
13
Q
What are the potential regulatory actions once ADRs have been reported?
A
- Withdraw drug if risks exceed benefits (rare)
- Make changes to promote safer use
- Remove indication
- Add contraindication
- Add warning or precaution (e.g. monitoring)
- Add drug interaction
- Add ADR
- Inform users
- Drug Safety Update
- Dear Dr/Pharmacist letter
14
Q
What is meant by an ADR that has been caused by pharmacodynamic mechanism?
A
- Drugs act on the same target site of clinical effect (receptor or body system)
- Opiates and benzodiazepines causing respiratory depression
15
Q
What is meant by an ADR that has been caused by a pharmacokinetic mechanism?
A
- Altered drug concentration at target site of clinical effect
- ADME
- OCP failure with antibiotics