Test 5 Ch 3 Flashcards
Which is always true regarding the generic name for a drug?
a. The generic name is capitalized when written.
b. The generic name is similar to the chemical name.
c. The generic name is the same in any country.
d. The generic name is assigned by a specific manufacturer.
ANS: C
The generic name is the common drug name used. This name is the same in all countries. The generic drug name is written in lower-case letters, whereas the trade name or brand name of a drug is capitalized.
What is the difference between the generic and the trade names of drugs?
a. The generic name is approved and owned by the Federal Drug Standards Committee.
b. The generic name represents the proprietary name given by a drug company.
c. The trade name is one that is registered to a specific drug manufacturer.
d. The trade name, or chemical name, represents the chemicals in the drug.
ANS: C
The trade name is the proprietary or brand name for the drug and is registered to a specific drug company.
You are teaching a new nursing student about the way drugs attach to its receptor sites. Which statement made indicates the students understanding about the way drugs and receptor sites work?
a. “The drug attaches to a receptor site and activates it.”
b. “The drug prevents activation of the receptor site.”
c. “The receptor site is activated, allowing DNA replication to occur”.
d. “The receptor sites are activated once the drug leaves the receptor site.”
ANS: A
Drug and receptor sites work by having the drug attached to the receptor site and activating the receptor.
You are giving the drug antagonist naloxone (Narcan) to a patient who has experienced an opioid overdose. What response would you expect in this patient from a drug antagonist?
a. An opioid antagonist would result in negative activation of cell receptors.
b. An opioid antagonist would result in positive activation of cell receptors.
c. An opioid antagonist would result in partial activation of cell receptors.
d. An opioid antagonist would result in no activation of cell receptors.
ANS: D
When a drug attaches at a drug receptor site but does not activate or unlock it, there is no increase in cell activity and the drug is an antagonist.
You have just given a patient a drug that is a known agonist. The patient asks how this drug is expected to work. What is your best response?
a. “This drug works by deactivation of all cellular receptor sites.”
b. “This drug works to partially block receptor sites.”
c. “This drug works by interacting with other drugs.”
d. “This drug works by attaching to the receptor site to activate it.”
ANS: D
A drug agonist works by activating or unlocking receptors, and has the same actions as the body’s own chemicals.
You are giving an oral drug to a patient who asks you to explain the reason for taking water with an oral tablet. What is your best response?
a. “Water is important for proper metabolism.”
b. “Juice or milk can keep it from dissolving.”
c. “Water helps to dissolve the drug.”
d. “Water keeps the drug potent.”
ANS: C
All drugs must be dissolved in body fluid before they enter body tissues. When the patient takes water with a tablet, it not only helps in swallowing but also helps dissolve the drug and increase its solubility.
You are about to give an IV antibiotic to a patient hospitalized with severe cellulitis of the right leg. The patient asks why the drug is being given by the intravenous route instead of by mouth. What is your best response?
a. “This antibiotic is not available in oral form.”
b. “This antibiotic can act faster if given by IV than if given by mouth.”
c. “This antibiotic can cause stomach ulcers if given by mouth.”
d. “This antibiotic was ordered to be given by the IV route.”
ANS: B
Drugs injected intravenously into the bloodstream have the fastest action.
What is the process by which drug molecules move from a region of higher concentration to one of lower concentration?
a. Diffusion
b. Osmosis
c. Filtration
d. Solubility
ANS: A
In diffusion, molecules move from a region of higher concentration to one of lower concentration.
A 62-year-old male patient with liver disease asks you why he is receiving a drug intravenously rather than by mouth. What is your best response?
a. “Many oral drugs are inactivated as you get older.”
b. “Your liver disease impairs the transformation of a drug into its active form.”
c. “Intravenous drugs reduce toxicity to the liver through first-pass metabolism.”
d. “Individuals with liver disease have a genetic impairment that prevents drug activation.”
ANS: B
Many drugs must be activated by enzymes before they can be used in the body. This biotransformation happens in the liver. Liver disease impairs this process.
A patient who is beginning a new cholesterol-lowering drug tells you he plans to take this drug in the evening with his usual glass of grapefruit juice. What is your best response?
a. “Taking grapefruit juice can reduce the effectiveness of the drug.”
b. “Taking grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of the drug.”
c. “The vitamin C in grapefruit juice enhances the action of cholesterol-lowering drugs.”
d. “The acid environment of grapefruit juice promotes drug metabolism.”
ANS: A
Grapefruit juice affects (usually reduces) the absorption of many drugs such as antihistamines, cholesterol-lowering drugs, HIV drugs, and transplant drugs.
You give a patient 400 mg of an oral drug at noon. This drug has a half-life of 2 hours. At what time will 100 mg remain?
a. 2:00 p.m.
b. 6:00 p.m.
c. 8:00 p.m.
d. 4:00 p.m.
ANS: D
With a half-life of 2 hours, the amount of drug remaining in the blood decreases by 50% every 2 hours. So, when 400 mg are given at noon, by 2:00 p.m., 200 mg remain; by 4:00 p.m., 100 mg remain.
When teaching a patient about a new drug that has been prescribed, the patient asks you to explain the difference between a side effect and an adverse reaction. What is your best response?
a. “Side effects are mild, and adverse effects are severe.” b. “Both side effects and adverse reactions are mild.”
c. “Both side effects and adverse reactions are severe.”
d. “Side effects are severe, and adverse reactions are mild.”
ANS: A
Side effects are usually seen as mild but annoying responses to a drug. Adverse reactions, or adverse effects, usually imply more severe symptoms or problems that develop because of the drug.
A 42-year-old female patient recovering from a recent fall tells you that she is experiencing sleepiness after taking a drug prescribed for back pain. What is your best response?
a. “You are having a severe drug interaction.”
b. “You are having an idiosyncratic response to this drug.”
c. “You are having the desired effect of this drug.”
d. “You are having an expected drug side effect.”
ANS: D
Drugs may influence many body systems at the same time, so the effect of the drug is often not restricted to the desired action. Side effects are usually seen as mild but annoying responses to the drug. In the case of many drugs for pain, sleepiness is an expected side effect.
A 27-year-old male patient with a sexually transmitted infection who was given intramuscular penicillin develops hives, itching, and facial swelling after the injection. What type of drug reaction is this patient experiencing?
a. An adverse reaction
b. A paradoxical reaction
c. A hypersensitivity reaction
d. An anaphylactic reaction
ANS: C
Some drugs (sulfa products, aspirin, and penicillin) can produce allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions that usually occur when an individual has taken the drug and the body has developed antibodies to it.
A 21-year-old woman has been prescribed a 10-day course of an oral antibiotic for a sinus infection. What information should be included in the teaching plan for this patient?
a. Antibiotics can have a synergistic effect when given with opiates.
b. Antibiotics can mask the signs of allergic reactions.
c. Antibiotics interact with birth control pills making them less effective.
d. Antibiotics interfere with P-450 enzyme pathways in women.
ANS: C
Drug interactions can produce adverse effects. Many antibiotics make birth control tablets less effective, thus making it more likely that a woman will get pregnant while taking both drugs if she is sexually active. Therefore, the interactions of antibiotics with birth control pills should be taught to women of childbearing age.
