Skeletal Muscle Relaxants

Question 1

How must Succinylcholine be given?

Answer 1

IV

Question 2

What is a side effect of succinylcholine that optometrists have to be aware of?

Answer 2

It can increase in IOP so not good for patients with glaucoma

Question 3

After surgery, a patient has arrhythmia, hyperkalemia, and muscle pain. You take their IOP and it shows increased IOP, what medication might they have been on during surgery?

Answer 3

Succinylcholine

Question 4

What could you do in order to reverse the effects of depolarizing agent, succinylcholine?

Answer 4

Be given a small dose of non-depolarizing agent.
Cisatracurium
Rocuronium
Vecuronium

Question 5

What are depolarizing and non-depolarizing agents used for?

Answer 5

Surgical relaxation
Endotracheal Intubation
Control ventilation
Treatment of convulsions

Question 6

What drug causes flaccid paralysis?

Answer 6

Succinylcholine

Question 7

Does succinylcholine have long or short half-life?

Answer 7

Short half life

Question 8

What drug causes hypotension and ganglionic blockage?

Answer 8

Cisatracurium

Question 9

What class of drug is known as a muscle relaxant?

Answer 9

Centrally-Acting spasmolytic drugs

Baclofen
Carisoprodol
Cyclobenzaprine
Tizanidine
Gabapentin

Question 10

What non-depolarizing agent is most used in clinical practice and is less likely to produce metabolites?

Answer 10

Cistracurium

Question 11

A person is taking a drug that causes sedation and alters pain perception, what class of drug is this?

Answer 11

Centrally acting spasmolytic drugs

Question 12

What drug is commonly given for the treatment of seizures in adults and children over 3 with epilepsy?

Answer 12

Gabapentin
Centrally acting spasmolytic drug (muscle relaxant)

Question 13

An adult was prescribed a muscle relaxant, gabapentin, for their seizures. What side effects might this person experience?

Answer 13

fatigue
dizziness
ataxia (loss of control of body movements)

Question 14

A person is taking an opioid but also needs to take a muscle relaxant (centrally acting spasmolytic), what drugs might this person want to avoid?

Answer 14

Gabapentin and Carisoprodol because it enhances the opioid effects

Question 15

True of False:
Centrally-acting spasmolytic drugs affect the CNS

Answer 15

True

Question 16

What spasmolytic drugs are used “off label”

Answer 16

benzodiazepine
clonidine
gabapentine

Question 17

What would you use as the first choice of spasmolytic drug?

Answer 17

Dantrolene because it acts directly the muscle and not the CNS
Direct-Acting muscle relaxant

Question 18

True or false:
When using dantrolene, cardiac and smooth muscle are not affected.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

Does dantrolene (direct acting muscle relaxant) have more or less side effects than centrally acting spasmolytic drugs?

Answer 19

Less side effects because it does not act on the CNS

Question 20

What centrally acting spasmolytic drug has a main effect on GABA receptors and inhibits spinal reflexes and has less sedation effects than benzodiazepines?

Answer 20

Baclofen

Question 21

What centrally acting spasmolytic drug produces altered pain perception and produces sedation. It is also on the watch list in most states.

Answer 21

Carisoprodol

Question 22

What centrally acting spasmolytic drug has a main effect on NE and 5-HT receptors and also has small antidepressant effects?

Answer 22

Cyclobenzaprine

Question 23

What centrally acting spasmolytic drug has a main effect on alpha 2 receptors and has fewer side effects than clonidine?

Answer 23

Tizanidine

Question 24

What centrally acting spasmolytic drug is an approved treatment for seizures in adults and children over 3 with epilepsy? Also used for the treatment of pain, tremors or migraines.

Answer 24

Gabapentin