Pharmacology

Question 1

What medication can be used to treat phaechromocytoma-induced hypertension?

Answer 1

Phentolamine

Question 2

What can phentolamine be used to treat?

Answer 2

Phaechromocytoma-induced hypertension

Question 3

Why are alpha-blockers only used as adjunctive treatment (i.e. add-on for HTN treatment)?

Answer 3

Because they only have modest BP lowering effects

Question 4

What is the MOA of prazosin?

Answer 4

Alpha-1 specific blocker. Inibit vasoconstrictor activity of NE.

Question 5

What advantage does carvedilol have over atenolol and propanolol?

Answer 5

Blockade of alpha 1 adrenoreceptors => reduced vasoconstriction in skin, mucous membrane and splanchnic areas => reduced TPR.

However, it causes more side effects.

Question 6

What is hydrocortisol? What conditions can be treated with hydrocortisol?

Answer 6

Hydrocortisone is the name for the hormone cortisol when supplied as a medication.

Uses include conditions such as adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenogenital syndrome, high blood calcium, thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatitis, asthma, and COPD.

Question 7

What can piperacillin with tazobactam (e.g. Tazocin) be used for? What is its drug class?

Answer 7

LRTI, UTI, intraabdominal sepsis, skin and soft tissue infection

Question 8

What are cephalosporins and carbapenems used for? What are their MOAs? Give some examples and their dosages.

Answer 8

Refer to Top 100 drugs

Question 9

What is metronidazole? What is its MOA? What is it used for (esp for one particular condition/microbe)?

Answer 9

Refer to Top 100 drugs. Effective against gram-positive anaerobe Clostrium difficle.

Question 10

What class of drugs is piperacillin with tazobactum? What is their MOA? What is their dosage?

Answer 10

Refer to Top 100 drugs.

Question 11

What class of drug are amoxicillin and co-amoxiclav under? What are their dosages?

Answer 11

Refer to Top 100 drugs.

Question 12

What class of drug is ranitidine? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given?

Answer 12

Refer to Top 100 drugs.

Question 13

What are the contraindications and warnings of azathioprine usage?

Answer 13

Bone marrow suppression is especially common in people with a genetic deficiency of the enzyme thiopurine S-methyltransferase. Other serious risk factors include an increased risk of lymphoma. Use during pregnancy may result in harm to the baby.

Question 14

What class of drug is ranitidine? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given? What is it particularly useful for?

Answer 14

Refer to Top 100 drugs. As with the other cephalosporins, it is susceptible to beta-lactamase, although as a second-generation variety, it is less so. Hence, it may have greater activity against Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Lyme disease

Question 15

What class of drug is warfarin? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given? What is it particularly useful for?

Answer 15

Refer to Top 100 drugs.
Warfarin inhibits the vitamin K-dependent synthesis of biologically active forms of the clotting factors II, VII, IX and X, as well as the regulatory factors protein C, protein S, and protein Z.

Question 16

What class of drug is atropine? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given? What is it particularly useful for? What are its side effects?

Answer 16

Given pre-operatively to prevent voiding of the bowels. Common side effects include a dry mouth, large pupils, urinary retention, constipation, and a fast heart rate.[3] It should generally not be used in people with angle closure glaucoma.

Question 17

What class of drug is bethanechol? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given? What is it particularly useful for? What are its side effects?

Answer 17

Refer to Top 100 drugs.
Irreversible muscurinic receptor agonist, and also a parasympathetic choline carbamate.

Bethanechol alleviates dry mouth[1] and is sometimes given orally or subcutaneously to treat urinary retention resulting from general anesthetic, diabetic neuropathy of the bladder, or a side effect of antidepressants; or to treat gastrointestinal lack of muscular tone. The muscarinic receptors in the bladder and gastrointestinal tract stimulate contraction of the bladder and expulsion of urine, and increased gastrointestinal motility, respectively.

Since it increases the effects of the parasympathetic system, it should not be used in patients with the following conditions: asthma, peptic ulcers, intestinal obstruction and hyperthyroidism (because cholinergic drugs may precipitate atrial fibrillation in patients with hyperthyroidism).

Question 18

What can acyclovir be used to treat?

Answer 18

It can be used to treat some viral infections. However, it is not a cure for these infections; it only decreases the severity and length of outbreaks, and the number of future episodes.

Sore throat around mouth - caused by herpes simplex
Chicken pox - caused by varicella zoster virus
Singles - caused by herpes zoster
Genital herpes - caused by herpes simplex virus type 1/2

Question 19

What are some examples of cholinesterase inhibitors?

Answer 19

Neostigmine
Physostigmine
Bethanechol

Question 20

What is a benzodiazepine? What are its indications? What is the usual dosage given? What is it particularly useful for? What are its side effects?

Answer 20

Benzodiazepine = benzene ring + diazepine ring

Question 21

What is betamethasone?

Answer 21

Refer to Top 100 Drugs (?)

Question 22

What are some drugs that prolong QT interval?

Answer 22

Amiodarone
Anti-psychotics
SSRIs
Macrolides
Quinine

Question 23

What are drugs that inhibit Cytochrome P450 enzyme?

Answer 23

Amiodarone - heart
Quinolones - antibiotic
Diltiazem - CCB
Itraconazole

Question 24

What are the drugs to avoid in pregnancy

Answer 24

Tetracycline
Metronidazole - first trimester
Methotrexate, Trimethoprim - first trimester
Nitrofuratoin

Question 25

What drugs are safe to use in penicillin allergy?

Answer 25

Tetracyclines (e.g. doxycycline), quinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin), macrolides (e.g. clarithromycin), aminoglycosides (e.g. gentamicin) and glycopeptides (e.g. vancomycin) are all unrelated to penicillins and are safe to use in the penicillin allergic patient.

Question 26

What is the antibiotic that is particularly good against Pseudomonas aeruginosa?

Answer 26

Ciprofloxacin - a quinolone

Question 27

What are the antibiotics that work by inhibiting ribosomal function?

Answer 27

Tetracyclines - Doxycycline, Lymecycline. Bind to 30S subunit
Macrolides - Azithromycin, Clarithromycin, Erythromycin. Bind to 50S subunit.
Aminoglycosides - Amikacin, Neomycin, ,Gentamycin. Irreversibly binds to 30S subunit.

Question 28

What medications work by inhibiting folate synthesis?

Answer 28

Methotrexate and trimethoprim

Question 29

What is the MOA of clopidogrel? What are it’s indications?

Answer 29

MOA: in vivo biotransformation to an active thiol metabolite => irreversibly blocks the P2Y12 component of ADP receptors on the platelet surface => prevents activation of the GPIIb/IIIa receptor complex => reduced platelet aggregation

Indications: reduce the risk of myocardial infarction for patients with non-ST elevated acute coronary syndrome (ACS), patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction, and in recent MI, stroke, or established peripheral arterial disease,