Psychopharmacology – Other Psychoactive Drugs Flashcards
A potential side effect of carbamazepine is agranulocytosis, which is a(n) __________ disorder.
A. endocrine
B. immune system
C. blood
D. kidney
Answer C is correct. Agranulocytosis is a blood disorder that involves a low level of white blood cells.
Benzodiazepines have a __________ half-life for older adults than for younger adults and, therefore, are often prescribed for older adults at a __________ dose than they are for younger adults.
A. shorter; lower
B. shorter; higher
C. longer; lower
D. longer; higher
Answer C is correct. Benzodiazepines and a number of other drugs have a longer half-life for older (versus younger) adults and, consequently, are usually administered to older adults at a lower dose to avoid toxicity.
A person will experience nausea, shortness of breath, and other unpleasant symptoms when he drinks alcohol after taking which of the following?
A. acamprosate
B. disulfiram
C. valproic acid
D. naltrexone
Answer B is correct. Acamprosate, naltrexone, and disulfiram are all used to treat alcohol use disorder but only disulfiram (Antabuse) does so by causing a person to experience unpleasant symptoms when it’s taken in conjunction with alcohol. (Valproic acid is an anticonvulsant drug that’s used to treat bipolar disorder.)
As a treatment for anxiety, propranolol (Inderal) is:
A. effective only for psychological symptoms.
B. more effective for psychological symptoms than somatic symptoms.
C. more effective for somatic symptoms than psychological symptoms.
D. equally effective for somatic and psychological symptoms.
Answer C is correct. The research is not entirely consistent but most studies suggest that propranolol is more effective for the somatic symptoms of anxiety than the psychological (subjective) symptoms.
Benzodiazepines and barbiturates enhance the effects of which of the following neurotransmitters?
A. GABA
B. serotonin
C. ACh
D. norepinephrine
Answer A is correct. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates both enhance the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA.
All of the following drugs are used to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by delaying the breakdown of acetylcholine except:
A. donepezil.
B. galantamine.
C. rivastigmine.
D. memantine.
Answer D is correct. Donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine delay the breakdown of acetylcholine, but memantine exerts its effects by regulating the activity of glutamate.
