SGT's Flashcards
what risks does amlodipine have for use in the elderly?
it is an antihypertensive; causes reduced baroreceptor function which leads to increased hypertension and increased risk of falls
what risks does aspirin have for use in the elderly?
it has risk of bleedings and for elderly it has higher risk of causing fatal or serious outcomes
older patients with cardiac disease and renal impairment can have higher risk when taking NSAIDs
what risks does metformin have for use in the elderly?
when they have eGFR of <30 ml/min/1.72m^2; risk of lactic acidosis
why do renal excreted drugs need dose adjustment in elderly?
older people have decreased renal excretion function
their eGFR will decrease
what is the difference between acute and chronic renal deterioration?
acute can be reversible with treatment whereas chronic can occur over time and isn’t reversible
what can allow you to see if renal deterioration is chronic or acute?
- the creatinine levels; they’ll be outside of 40-120 micromol/litre and can tell eGFR from the level
- urea levels; higher in blood than normal range so kidneys aren’t filtering it quickly enough
- lithium conc
what drugs are renal excreted?
- antibiotics
- diuretics
- beta blockers
- digoxin
- lithium
- ranitidine
- metformin
- NSAIDs
- calcium channel blockers
what are the normal ranges for sodium levels, potassium, urea, creatinine and lithium?
K+ = 3.5-5.3 Urea = 2.5-6.5 Li= 0.4-1 Na+ = 133-149 Creatinine = 40-120 micromol/litre
what drug class is zopiclone and prochlorperazine?
zopiclone; sedatives and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics
prochlorperazine; antiphyscotics
what is prochlorperazine associated with, especially in the elderly?
- acts on the brain
- makes elderly patients NS more sensitive
- sedative effect
- associated with falls
how do sedatives affect falling?
sedatives slow reaction time and impair the balance causing elderly risk of falling to increase
risks of taking NSAIDs in elderly?
they exacerbate hypertension and promote renal function deterioriation
what would lithium concentration being high suggest?
that the kidney is damage and there is decreased renal function- AKI or CKI
what are important factors to consider for pregnant women?
- immunisations; flu and hepatitis, MMR
- make sure to get drug history and current medication
- pre-natal vitamins are a good option for decreasing abnormal defects
- need to look lifestyle choices
why is important to find out the drug indication before considering use in pregnancy?
- do risks> benefits?
- fetal metabolism might affect dose conc. and so doses might need to be adjusted
when is the worst time to take drugs during pregnancy?
first term as it has highest risk of foetal defects so drugs can have serious side effects
should sumatriptan be given to pregnant women?
unless benefits > risks then no it should be avoided
not known to be harmful but should discuss with GP
what drugs shouldnt a pregnant women have whilst breastfeeding?
flucloxacillin and co-codamol as there are trace amounts in breast milk the might affect the baby
- can affect babies stool due to flucloxacillin having Gi disturbance side effects
- co-codamol can have opioid toxicity and cause breathing difficulties for baby
what can cause peripheral oedema?
calcium channel blockers
- vasodilation changes in pressure lead to fluid leaking into interstitial area
what interaction does grapefruit and CCB have? so can how grapefruit cause oedema
grapefruit interferes with CCB clearance and so increases its bioavailability
- inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes so body exposure to CCB’s increase - can also occur with statins
grapefruit causes increased CCB exposure causing more fluid to leak into interstitial area so more fluid build up so more oedema
what is the DDI of warfarin and amiodarone?
amiodarone reduces warfarin clearance by 44-55%
it also increases its anticoagulant effect and could lead to severe bradycardia with high doses
it inhibits CYP enzymes so blood will be thinner and so warfarin metabolism is inhibited
if patient has low TSH and high T3 as well as tremor, agitated, anxious and increase appetite what could this be? what drug can cause this?
hyperthyroidism
the use of amiodarone due to high iodine content
what do lisinopril and spironolactone together cause?
increased risk of hyperkaliemia
aldosterone receptor antagonist + ACE inhibitor
ACE inhibitor reduces levels of aldosterone which retains K+
why are steroid treatment cards issued to patients?
they are issued for patients with adrenal insufficiency and patients who have missed doses puts them at risk of adrenal crisis
what are long term side effects of oral CCS such as prednisolone patients should be aware about?
- increase risk of severe chicken pox if never had before
- makes patients more susceptible to infections and severe ones
- if taken of CCS abruptly it can cause adrenal insufficiency and maybe death or hypotension
- systemic CCS can leads to psychiatric moods e.g. euphoria or suicidal thoughts; should seek medical advice or be aware to withdrawal symptoms
- increased weight gain and appetite; and diabetes so might need to start on insulin
- can increase risk of gastric ulcer so PPL
effect of furosemide on the kidney?
inhibits reabsorption of salts from ascending loop of Henle in renal tubule such as Na+ and K+ and water by blocking their ion channels
cause CD to be less permeable and more urine to be passed out
it reaches by glomerular filtration and secretary mechanisms
what side effects can loop diuretics have?
if there is less salts and water being absorbed so there is electrolyte imbalance and might cause dizziness and headaches; low K+ and Na+ levels
what first line treatment should patients with type 1 diabetes and hypertension have?
either angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers if ACEIs not tolerated
what first line treatment should patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension have?
thiazide diuretics, ARBs or ACE inhibitors
what class drug is bendroflumethazide? how does it effect the kidneys?
it is a thiazide diuretic
it causes excretion of water and sodium ions into the urine
treats fluid retention and produces more urine
blocks Na+ transport in the DCT and so more Na+ to CD - CD is less permeable
what’s the best line of treatment for stage 2 hypertension?
should be for over 55’s CCB and for under 55’s it should be ACE inhibitors
what are possible ADR’s and warning points for CCBs?
- can cause dizziness due to electrolyte imbalance
- nausea, fatigue
- shouldnt crush or chew tablet only swallow it whole
- for elderly lower doses should be used and adjusted depending on renal function
- take in morning not night as it will cause you to urinate more ; so expect to urinate more
- they should drink more fluid; look out for muscle spasms and hypokalaemia
- can get stomach issues initially but they will go away
how should most neonates drugs be administered?
should be diluted with Glucose 5% and should be administered over a time range of 10-30 minutes and should be IV administered
what monitoring should you have with gentamicin and why?
blood samples should be taken before doses
- renal and vestibular function should be monitored
- can cause otooxicity
why is benzylpenicillin given less frequently to kids than adults and why does gentamicin have higher dose in adults than kids?
doses are lower in children as both are excreted renally and so accumulate in kidney so need more time for it to leave the children system
what is the best administration of doses to children?
should be tablets that are dispersed in water or given by injection by IV use - dilute
what are other treatments for coup?
- CCS
- dexamethasone
- if its severe, use nebulised adrenaline
what is important to remember when treating adults for epilepsy?
should start at low doses and increase until seizures are controlled
- consider the syndrome and if its not clear, type of seizure should determine treatment
e. g. consider age or sex or co-morbidity of treatment
why would sodium valproate or phenytoin be the wrong treatment for epilepsy in kids?
if you increase the dose of these, the plasma conc can increase and cause toxic side effects
- valproate shouldn’t be used In girls who can have potential childbirth
- phenytoin can effect contraceptive pill dosing so wrong for women who are on pills or going through periods
what routes can be used for emergency treatment of epilepsy in kids?
- rectal route of diazepam ; if oral route isn’t tolerated
- in community EpiPen might be an option
- buccal route of midazolam; cheek and gum in between as lining is thinner so quick absorption
what is desmopressin and how does it work?
it a vasopressin that causes vasoconstriction to increase the blood pressure
it also works on V2 receptors in collecting duct and inserts aquaporins to allow more reabsorption of water so urine is more concentrated
what’s the difference between vasopressin and desmopressin?
vasopressin is the endogenous ADH from the hypothalamus
desmopressin is the synthetic version of ADH and has a longer half life than vasopressin as it metabolised more slowly in the body; also more potent
how does desmopressin work?
desmopressin is the synthetic version of ADH
ADH will be released from the pituitary glands and travel in bloodstream to the V2 receptors that are on the basolateral membrane of the CD
the binding of ADH to the V2 raises cAMP levels and this causes intracellular vesicles to release ADQP2 and to let them fuse with the apical membrane
water is then reabsorbed from the CD by osmosis ; this gradient is bought by the high solute conc in medulla into mass recta
it replaces ADH which isn’t there stopping kidney from absorbing any water
if a patient stopped taking desmopressin after taking it for a while how would their serum osm and urine osm be affected?
how to calculate these two values?
- serum osmolality would increase as less water and more salts
- urine osmolality would decrease as more water in the urine and so dilute urine
urine osmolality = urea x 1.25 mmol/L
serum osmolality = (2 x serum sodium) + serum glucose + serum urea