Pharmacology Flashcards
Histamine H2-receptor antagonists
also known as H2-blockers, are used to treat duodenal ulcers and prevent their return. They are also used to treat gastric ulcers and for some conditions, such as Zollinger-Ellison disease, in which the stomach produces too much acid. In over-the-counter (OTC) strengths, these medicines are used to relieve and/or prevent heartburn, acid indigestion, and sour stomach. H2-blockers may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
H2-blockers work by decreasing the amount of acid produced by the stomach.
H2-blockers are available both over-the-counter (OTC) and with your doctor’s prescription.
H2 receptor antagonists are used to treat dyspepsia, excess gastric acid production, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
H2 antagonists can be identified because they end in the suffix, -tidine. Other examples include cimetidine and famotidine.
Ex. Axid Axid AR Axid Pulvules Heartburn Relief Pepcid Pepcid AC Tagamet Tagamet HB Zantac Zantac 150 Zantac 150 Efferdose Zantac 25
Integrase inhibitors
Integrase inhibitors are used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Integrase is a viral enzyme that inserts viral genetic material into the host, target cell.
Examples: raltegravir, dolutegravir, elvitegravir.
Note: integrase inhibitors always end with the common suffix -gravir
Antipyretic drugs
Antipyretic drugs are medicines used to reduce fever.
Therefore, aspirin is an antipyretic drug.
Of course, aspirin has other effects too – such as antiplatelet effects and anti-inflammatory effects – making it an effective NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).
Warfarin and heparin are both anticoagulant drugs, whereas morphine is an example of an opioid analgesic used to treat moderate-to-severe pain.
Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs)
Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are used to treat conditions with excess gastric acid production.
This includes dyspepsia (indigestion), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Examples: omeprazole, pantoprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole.
Note: all proton-pump inhibitors have the common suffix, -prazole
rapid-acting insulins
Examples of rapid-acting insulins (peak time – 1 hour) include insulin aspart, lispro, and glulisine.
Note: remember the mnemonic, “there is no LAG with rapid-acting insulins” (Lispro / Aspart / Glulisine).
Insulin detemir and insulin glargine are long-acting insulins.
Isophane insulin is an intermediate-acting insulin.
Vitamin Solubility
Water soluble vitamins are readily eliminated from the body, meaning that they must be consumed daily to ensure adequate and continuous supply is available for the body. B and C vitamins are water soluble.
Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. Because they are fat soluble, they are stored readily in the body. As such, given these bodily stores, fat soluble vitamins don’t need to be consumed as regularly as water soluble vitamins.
Note: when you take vitamin C with iron-rich foods (eggs, green-leafy vegetables etc.), it enhances the absorption of iron by as much as 70 percent!
Statins work by inhibiting what enzyme
Statins - such as simvastatin and atorvastatin and lovastatin - are used to treat elevated blood cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia.
Statins work by inhibiting the enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase – a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway of hepatic cholesterol production.
drugs containing a beta-lactam ring
Penicillins (amoxicillin, ampicillin) and cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cefazolin, cefpodoxime etc.) both contain the beta-lactam ring structure – a key and necessary structure for these drugs to exert their antibacterial therapeutic effects. Without the beta-lactam ring structure, these drugs are ineffective at fighting against bacterial infections.
The beta-lactam ring is a 4-membered ring that helps to confer antibacterial properties.
Bacteria can produce an enzyme, called beta-lactamase, that tries to break down this ring structure. The more beta-lactam rings destroyed, the more bacteria can flourish. This is one of the factors that leads to an increase in antibiotic resistance in these drugs.
H1 antagonists are used in the treatment of which condition?
Histamine antagonists at the H1 receptor help relieve allergic symptoms - such as itch and hives and nasal congestion.
Examples: cetirizine, loratadine, fexofenadine, chlorpheniramine
Do not confuse H1 antagonists with H2 antagonists.
Unlike H1 antagonists, H2 antagonists are used to treat conditions caused by excess gastric acid production, such as indigestion (dyspepsia) and GERD. Cimetidine is an example of a H2 antagonists.
Trimethoprim
Trimethoprim is used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs).
It works by inhibiting bacterial folate synthesis.
Trimethoprim is often combined with another drug, sulfamethoxazole, in the medicine Co-trimoxazole, for added effect in the treatment of UTIs.
daily purchase limit of pseudoephedrine
The daily purchase limit of pseudoephedrine is 3.6 grams (approximately a 15-day supply).
There is also a 9-gram per 30-day limit, too.
To purchase, the patient must present a government-issued identification and sign a logbook - usually electronic - which can be accessible by law enforcement at any time.
These limits remain in place to prevent illegal meth productio
drugs with the suffix -triptan
Sumatriptan is the active ingredient of the medicine, Imitrex - and is used in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches.
Note: all drugs with the suffix -triptan are used to treat migraine (zolmitriptan, sumatriptan, rizatriptan)
Drugs that block the PDE5 enzyme (phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme) are used
Drugs that block the PDE5 enzyme (phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme) are used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Examples include sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).
Note: sildenafil and tadalafil are also effective in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Note #2: PDE5 inhibitors can be identified as they all end in the suffix, -afil.
Proton-pump inhibitors uses
Proton-pump inhibitors are used in the treatment of excess gastric acid production and treat conditions such as dyspepsia and GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease).
Note: all proton-pump inhibitors can be identified by the suffix -prazole (omeprazole, pantoprazole etc.).
Beta-blockers can cause bronchospasm in patients suffering from asthma.
Note: bronchospasm is when the airways (bronchial tubes) go into spasm and contract. This makes it very difficult for patients with asthma to breathe.
Beta-2 agonists are used to treat asthma (drugs such as albuterol, formoterol, and terbutaline).
Therefore, blockade of beta-receptors can oppose the effects of beta-2 agonists and cause bronchoconstriction.
