Lesson A4 - DRUG TOXICITY AND ROUTES OF DRUG ADMINISTRATION Flashcards
With the widespread distribution of drugs, we have the twin hazards of ____________ and __________
Accidental poisoning, Suicide
When do the majority of accidental poisonings happen? What are the main drug in these poisonings?
- Children under five years of age
- Acetaminophen or asprin
True or false? Iron is is dangerous if taken in large doses
True
What is the major drug group that has been implicated in suicide attempts
Barbiturate group and similar drugs
Barbiturate tablets were once dispensed as __________ or _____________
Sedatives, Sleeping pills
Why must people who are severely depressed not take a large amount of barbiturate or similar drugs?
Because they may use these drugs to commit suicide
What is the other name for valium?
Diazepam
What group of drugs in the western world has been used over the barbiturate group because of the enhanced safety. List one of the drugs in this group? What were they used for?
- Benzodiazepine group
- Diazepam (Valium)
- Sedation and sleeping pills
What group of drugs has been widely accepted for the use of sedation and sleeping pills?
- Benzodiazepine group
What happens when Benzdiazepine is taken for it’s sedative effects and it is overdosed?
- Over-sedation
- An extension of the normal therapeutic effects
What are anticoagulants used for?
To prevent blood clots
What will an overdose of anticoagulant drugs cause
- Bleeding
- An extension of the normal therapeutic effects
What side effect do digitalis drugs used to strengthen the heart muscle (Used in patients with congestive heart failure)
- produce nausea, vomiting, and abnormal colour vision
- Unrelated to their main action
What is the drug succinylcholine used for?
Muscle relaxant
How is the muscle relaxant drug succinylcholine inactivated in the body? What are some problems that can arise?
- By an enzyme present in the blood
- Some patients 1 in 3000 may not have this enzyme and therfore cannot digest it
- Because they can’t digest the drug it acts for a very long time
What are the 4 adverse effects of drugs?
- Extension of therapeutic effect
- Unrelated to main drug action
- Idiosyncrasy
- Drug Allergy
When a new drug is introduced they proceed through 3 stages, What are these 3 stages
- Panacea
- Poison
- Pedestrian
What is the Panacea stage of the introduction of a new drug?
When the drug is first marketed with considerable advertising, it is thought that the
drug is a major new advance.
What is the Poison stage of the introduction of a new drug?
After the drug has been in use for a few months, additional adverse effects usually
become apparent and sales of the drug drop precipitously. The drug is then thought to be a poison.
What is the Pedestrian phase of the introduction of a new drug?
With the further passage of time, the benefit/risk ratio of the drug is easier to
assess and it is realized that the drug is neither a panacea nor a poison, but rather an average (or pedestrian) drug.
What are the 4 reasons that a drug may be thought as little or no toxicity when first introduced and then later turns out to be significantly toxic?
- The toxic reaction may be a rare event
- The toxic reaction may only appear after the drug has been in prolonged use
- Toxic effects not detectable in animals
- Toxic effect may be unique to a particular period