Pharmacology 1: Safe prescribing and pharmacokinetics intro Flashcards
Requirements for a safe prescription?
Right drug dose route site frequency to right patient AND must consider allergies, contraindications, interactions and adverse effects.
what is a black triangle drug?
1 being intensively monitored generally 1 which has been: newly released changed indications changed formulations combination product
what is a serious reaction?
results in or prolongs hospitilisation
what SEs may occur with metformin use?
diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, lactic acidosis- as too much glucose for O2 in tissues so revert to anaerobic metabolism
describe a model which can be used for error causation in prescribing?
Reason’s model of error causation:
4 primary components: latent conditions- organisational processes and management decisions
error producing conditions- environ, team, indiv, task factors
active failures- slips, lapses, mistakes (errors) and violation
defences- protect against hazards, mitigate consequences of failure
examples of defences in prescribing errors?
prescription checking by nurses and pharmacists
electronic reviews- e.g. warnings displayed before certain prescriptions allowed to be processed
senior reviews
what is the difference between slips and lapses, and mistakes?
slips and lapses occur with loss of concentration, and maybe memory, meaning that the action isn’t carried out as intended. Mistakes occur when there is poor knowledge or rules are confused, so the action is carried out as intended, but the outcome is not as expected.
What is verapamil and when is it used?
L-type Ca2+ blocker, used in HF and arrhythmias (class IV anti-arrhythmic)
Acts at SAN and AVN in arrhythmia
Has -ve inotropic and chronotropic effects, + causes dilatation of peripheral arterioles and CAs in HF to reduce workload of heart.
common side effect of statins?
muscle pains
4 components to pharmacokinetics?
ADME: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion
factors determining OB?
formulation of drug (long or short acting?)
route of administration
age
lipid-soluble>H20-soluble if given with food
vomiting/malabsorption
GI/hepatic disorders, transporter and enzyme avaialability 1st pass metabolism
major factors affecting drug distribution in the body?
lipophilicity/hydrophobicity
degree to which it binds to plasma protein
degree to which it binds to tissue proteins
mass or volume of tissue and density of binding sites within that tissue
what 3 main factors are used as the basis as to whether a drug should be included in a formulary (list of formulae for compounded medicines)
cost
efficacy
safety
what is efficacy?
ability of a drug to activate a receptor and produce a response
what is potency?
how good a drug is at producing a response
measured by EC50= effective conc of a drug giving 50% of maximal response
things to remember when prescribing drugs?
PRESCRIBER patient details reactions- drugs (allergies?) and interactions sign drug chart contraindiciations route IV fluids check blood clotting emetics- induce vomiting to get rid of unwanted substances before absorbed relief- pain, have they enough?
why must patient be monitored if on MXT?
immune system suppressor, so must do FBC to check for BM suppression
what does 1st pass effect mean for drug dosages when prescribing?
a drug which is heavily metabolised by the liver would have to be give at a relatively high dosage in order to achieve its therapeutic effect
define 1st pass metabolism
any metabolism of a drug that occurs prior to its entry into the systemic circulation
where can 1st pass metabolism occur?
gut lumen e.g. gastric acid, proteolytic enzymes e.g. insulin, benzylpenicillin
gut wall e.g. P-glycoprotien efflux pumps e.g. ciclosporin
liver e.g. propranolol and morphine
what is drug distribution?
ability of a drug to dissolve in the body
when are changes in protein binding of a drug important?
if high protein binding
low Vd
narrow therapeutic ratio
what factors affect protein binding of a drug?
hypoalbuminaemia e.g. liver failure, nephrotic syndrome
renal failure
pregnancy
displacement by other drugs
why is high-dose aspirin avoided in patients on warfarin?
increases risk of bleeding as warfarin= class I drug, and aspirin= class II, so aspirin displaces warfarin from protein binding sites, so its free concentration is increased, as class II drugs are given at a dose greater than the number of available albumin binding sites.