Pharm Exam 1 Flashcards
Pharmacology
The study of drugs and their interaction with living systems
Properties of an ideal drug
effectiveness and selectivity
Effectiveness
a drug that elicits the response it was meant to
Selectivity
a drug that elicits only one response for which it was given
Therapeutic classification
what the drug does
Examples:
antihypertensives = lower blood pressure
anticoagulants = influence blood clotting
antihyperlipidemics = lower blood cholesterol
antidysrhythmics = restore normal cardiac rhythm
antianginals = treat anginas
Tachyphylaxis
quick and rapid decrease in drug responsiveness regardless of time
Tolerance
decreased drug responsiveness over time
Drug naming conventions
chemical, generic, and brand naming
Chemical naming
used by chemists and manufacturers
Generic naming
used by healthcare providers and written in lowercase
Ex: ibuprofen
Brand naming
assigned by drug manufacturers and start with CAPITAL letter
Also proprietary and trade name
Ex: Advil
Non-prescription medication
Over-the-counter medication (OTC meds)
First line of defense medications
Over-the-counter meds
Do OTC meds requires a prescription?
No
Where can you purchase OTC meds?
drug stores (CVS, Walgreens) and grocery stores (Publix)
FDA regulation that states these meds are relatively safe to take without supervision
OTC meds
OTC med examples
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
acetaminophen (Tylenol)
ibuprofen (Advil)
Medications that are considered potentially harmful if there is no supervision over administration. Prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional.
Prescription medications
Prescription med examples
antibiotics (ceftriaxone)
antihypertensives (lisinopril)
narcotics (fentanyl)
Types of PO meds
tablet, capsules, powder, liquid
Medication release time is dependent on
the type of PO medication
Enteric-coated drugs (EC)
barrier to prevent GI upset
Extended-release drugs (ER)
last longer in the body
Extended-length drugs (EL)
release slowly over 24-48 hours
Sustained release drugs
lasts longer in the body
Can you crush or chew enteric-coated tablets?
No- can cause drug toxicity and lead to fatal OD or oropharyngeal irritation
A nurse is caring for a client who is having difficulty remembering to take their prescribed drug three times a day. The nurse should identify that which of the following alternate forms of the drug can help promote adherence to the prescribed dosage?
A. Immediate-release capsule
B. Extended-release tablet
C. Liquid suspension
D. Powder form
B. Extended-release tablet
A nurse is teaching a client about naproxen enteric-coated tablets. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in teaching?
A. “You should allow the tablet to dissolve in your mouth”
B. “Drug absorption occurs in the stomach
C. “Do not crush or chew the tablet”
D. “You should expect immediate absorption of the medication”
C. “Do not crush or chew the tablet”
Six Rights of Safe Medication Administration
- Right drug
- Right patient
- Right dose
- Right route
- Right time
- Right documentation
Additional guidelines to Safe Medication Administration
● Check expirations dates
● NEVER leave medication unattended
● Two patient identifiers
● Stay with the patient until medication is fully administered
● Record results and effectiveness
● Only administer drugs that you prepared
What is a medication error?
Any avoidable event that may cause/lead to incorrect medication use or patient harm
Nurses Rights to Safety & Quality for Med Administration
● Complete or clear orders
● Six rights
● Access to information
● Policies to guide safe administration
● Administer medications safely and to identify system problems
● Stop, think, and be vigilant when administering medication
Common routes of med administration
Oral/enteral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, topical, transdermal, inhaled, rectal, ocular, aural, vaginal
Drug-Drug Interactions
-Intensified effectiveness
-Reduction in effectiveness
-Unique response
Drug-Food Interactions
● Increase or decrease the absorption
● Increase the risk of toxicity
● Impact drug action
● Alter metabolism
What is the grapefruit juice effect?
“Only pervs eat grapefruit” -Oleg
Instead of the drug being metabolized in the body, more drug enters the bloodstream, resulting in too much drug in the body
The use of medication to prevent, mitigate, or cure disease
Pharmacotherapeutics
The intended response of the drug
Therapeutic effect
Physiological effects not related to the desired effect
Side effect
More severe reaction, than a side effect
Adverse effect
Types of adverse effects
Allergic reactions, idiosyncratic effect, latrogenic disease, physical dependence, carcinogenic effect, teratogenic effect
Pharmacokinetics
the process of drug movement throughout the body necessary to achieve drug action
What the BODY does to the drug
Absorption
movement of the drug outside of the body to the bloodstream
Distribution
the journey of the drug through the bloodstream to various tissues of the body
Metabolism
how the drug is broken down; biotransformation
Where does metabolism primarily take place?
liver
Excretion
how the drug leaves the body; elimination
Routes of excretion/elimination
urine, breastmilk, saliva, hair, sweat
Where does excretion primarily take place?
kidneys
First pass effect
Oral medications from the GI tract pass the intestinal lumen via the portal vein. The liver then metabolizes some of the drug that in turn reduces the concentration of active drug.
Minimum effective concentration (MEC)
The lowest level of concentration of drug in the bloodstream,
needed for the intended therapeutic effect
DNA testing to predict the likely drug response to assist with medication selection
Pharmacogenetics
Pharmacodynamics
what drugs do to the body and how they do it
The start of the desired effect of drug
onset
Point of maximum strength of drug
peak
How long it works
duration
Half life
time required for amount of drug to decrease by 50%
Therapeutic index
the relationship between the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose
Activates the desired response
agonist
Less effect than a full agonist
partial agonists
Blocks a response
antagonist
When two or more drugs are given together to have a greater therapeutic effect
synergistic effect
Two drugs combined causes an equal therapeutic effect
additive effect
A nurse is teaching a client who has a prescription for a drug that has a receptor agonist effect. Which of the following information should the nurse include in the teaching?
A. “This will increase the effects of normal cellular function”
B. “This minimizes the risk of that the medications you take will become toxic”
C. “This prevents cells in your body from performing certain actions”
D. “This prevents hormones in your body from attaching to cell receptor sites”
A. “This will increase the effects of normal cellular function”
Drug toxicity
drug level exceeds the therapeutic range
The health of the fetus is dependent on
the health of the mother
The process by which congenital malformations are produced in embryo or fetus
Teratogenesis
Which trimester is the fetus most vulnerable?
first trimester
Drug therapy considerations during pregnancy
● Placental transfer
● Adverse reactions
● Physiological changes related to pregnancy
● Breastfeeding consideration
Teratogenic med categories
● Category A: fails to show risk to fetus
● Category B: animal studies shows no risk to fetus
● Category C: studies in animals have shown adverse effects to fetus
● Category D: confirmed human fetal risk (risk v. benefit)
● Category X: animal and human studies have shown fetal risk (contraindicated)
Why is pharmacology research limited re: children?
Limited research due to the risk
More specific dosage calc for children because
children are less developed than adults
Pharmacology consideration for older adults
more vulnerable due to the aging process
Polypharmacy
occurs when a person is taking many different medications at the same time
Increased number of drugs leads to an
increased risk of adverse side effects
A nurse is providing teaching to a pregnant client who is taking captopril, an ACE inhibitor, to treat hypertension. The nurse informs the client that captopril is a teratogenic drug. The nurse should explain that teratogenic drugs can cause which of the following?
A. Maternal bleeding
B. Maternal blood clots
C. Fetal malformation
D. Gestational diabetes mellitus
C. Fetal malformation
Adherence concerns in older adults
- Patient may not fully understand drug regimen.
- Nonadherence may cause underdosing.
- Nonadherence may cause overdosing.
- Barriers to effective drug use by the older adult
- Medication education extremely important
Rate of absorption by type of PO drug type – fast to slow
liquid, suspension, powder, capsule, tablet, coated tablet, enteric-coated tablet
What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?
Medical therapies used instead of or in addition
to pharmacotherapies
Does CAM have positive or negative effects?
both
Types of CAM
● Herbal supplements
● Botanicals
● Nutritional products
Drug-herb interactions: St. John’s Wort taken in addition to SSRIs can lead to
serotonin syndrome
St. John’s Wort interacts w/
cyclosporine, indinavir, oral contraceptives, warfarin, digoxin, benzodiazepines (and other drugs)
General guidelines for CAM
● Natural therapies do not mean SAFE therapies
● Speak with your provider before taking supplements
● Do not take if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
● Do not give to children
● Follow instructions
● If you experience side effect, stop the supplement and contact your provider
● Not all ingredients may be listed
Organic substances necessary for tissue growth and healing; made by plants and animals; obtained through diet
vitamins
Elements that come from soil and water that is then absorbed by the plants and animals we consume
minerals
Ex: Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Chloride, Magnesium, Iron
Instances for increasing vitamin intake
● Pregnancy/breastfeeding
● Illness
● Malabsorption diseases
● Malnourishment
● Inadequate diet
Megadoses of vitamins
condition specific; generally not toxic, but must be monitored for toxicity
Fat soluble vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K) dissolve in fat and tend to accumulate in the body.
Water soluble vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate) must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body, and therefore cannot be stored. Any water-soluble vitamins unused by the body is primarily lost through urine.