Therapeutics Flashcards
What class of drug does penicillin come under?
beta-lactam
What is the mode of action of penicillin?
1) inhibits cross linking peptides
2) inactivates autolysin inhibitors - interferes with cell wall synthesis
3) targets rapidly dividing organisms
What is the spectrum of activity of penicillin?
- narrow spectrum
- most gram +ve cocci, gram +ve bacilli, some gram -ve cocci
- anaerobic potential - fusobact spp, clostridium, anaerobic strep
What are the kill characteristics of penicillin?
Time dependent killing
- prefer dividing bacteria
- takes time for inhibition process and eventual microorganism rupture
- high blood levels
What are three common preparations of penicillin?
1) Penicillin G
2) Penicillin V
3) Procaine/benzathine penicillin
What is penicillin G?
Benzylpenicillin
- injectable form, gastric acid labile, low absorption so poor oral success
What is the half life of Penicillin G (benzylpenicillin)
30 mins
How is penicillin G administered?
injection
What is the peak serum time and peak serum level of penicillin G?
30-60mins
2microg/ml
What is the protein binding % of penicillin G?
45-68%
How does protein binding impact drug efficacy?
agents that are minimally protein bound penetrate tissue better than those that are highly bound, but they are excreted much faster
What is the oral absorption level of penicillin G?
20%
What is penicillin V?
phenoxymethylpenicillin
well absorbed, gastric acid stable, suitable for oral administration
How is penicillin V administered?
phenoxymethylpenicillin is an oral administration
What is the oral absorption level of penicillin V?
60-73%
What is the half life of Penicillin V?
30-45 mins
What is the peak serum time and level of penicillin V?
4microg/L and 30-60mins
What is the protein binding % of penicillin V?
75-89%
What is penicillin G used to treat?
reserved for severe infection (IV)
What is procaine/benzathine penicillin?
procaine benzylpenicillin
benzathine benzypenicillin
What bacteria are penicillins ineffective against?
beta-lactamase producing bacteria
How common is penicillin hypersensitivity and what are the symptoms?
- common 8%
- macropapular/urticarial rash
- 20-49yrs, 75% anaphylactic fatalities
How many people with penicillin hypersensitivity have an immediate reaction to it?
96% in first 60 mins
what are the symptoms of an immediate penicillin hypersensitivity reaction?
- mast cell degranulation and histamine release
- nausea/vomiting, pruritus, erythema, urticaria, rash, wheeze, laryngeal oedema, angioedema, bronchospasm, hypotension, cardiovascular collapse
What is pruritus?
itchy skin
What are the features of a delayed reaction (rash) as a result of penicillin hypersensitivity?
- vesicular, macropapular, bullous, urticarial, scarlatiniform
- can be short-lived, does not always mean future use of penicillin is contra-indicated
What are some signs of delayed reactions to penicillin?
blood dyscrasia
- haemolytic anaemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, aplastic anaemia
What are some risk factors regarding penicillin adminstration?
- multiple drug allergies
- atopic disease
- asthma
- allergic rhinitis
- nasal polyps
document and prevent
What is the likelihood of reaction upon re-exposure in people with a true penicillin allergy?
15-40% on re-exposure
4-6x greater likelihood than those with negative history
How long do the antibodies following hypersensitivity reaction to penicillin remain and what difference does repeated exposure make?
- Serum IgE antibodies often retained 10-1000 days
- re-exposure and risk of recurrent allergy higher in those with repeated exposure short-term or long IgE expression
What should be completed following an adverse drug reaction?
Yellow card
What are the three main mechanisms of penicillin evasion?
1) reduced drug binding to penicillin binding protein (PBP) (altering configuration)
2) hydrolysis of drug by beta lactamase enzymes (principle method of evasion)
3) development of tolerance by disabling autolysis mechanism (penicillin becomes bacteriostatic instead of bactericidal)
What five drugs interact with penicillin?
1) antagonism
2) NSAIDs/probenecid
3) warfarin
4) methotrexate
5) oral contraceptive pill
What drugs cause antagonism of penicillin and how?
administration of 2 drugs that results in neither working effectively. Penicillin is bactericidal and works on rapidly dividing bacteria, if you add bacteriostatic drugs (stop division), reduces effectiveness. Includes ABx like tetracycline, clindamycin and erythromycin
What interaction occurs when penicillin is given together with NSAIDs or probenecid?
NSAIDs and probenecid can increase half life by decreasing renal excretion of penicillin, causing increased plasma concentration
What interaction occurs when penicillin is given together with warfarin?
broad spectrum penicillins may affect INR
What interactions occur when methotrexate and penicillin are taken concurrently?
penicillin can decrease excretion of methotrexate, compete with eachother in tubules of kidney and ultimately lead to decreased tubular secretion of methotrexate and increased levels through retention, possible toxicity
What are the common unwanted effects of penicillin?
- diarrhoea
- nausea
- skin rash
What are the uncommon unwanted effects of penicillin?
- vomiting
- urticaria and pruritus
- arthralgia
What are some very rare unwanted effects of penicillin?
- mucocutaenous candidosis
- hypersensitivity reactions
- toxicity severe renal failure
- electrolyte accumulation
- hepatotoxicity
- diarrhoea/colitis
- black hairy tongue
- increased PT/INR/bleeding
What is a typical dose of penicillin?
250-500mg, 6 hourly for 3-5 days
What route of administration is most common for penicillin?
oral
Is there a loading dose used for penicillin?
yes
What is a loading dose?
loading dose is an initial higher dose of a drug that may be given at the beginning of a course of treatment before dropping down to a lower maintenance dose
Penicillin experiences antagonism with which drugs?
bacteriostatic ABx
What is the half life of penicillin?
30 mins
What is the mode of action of penicillin?
cell wall inhibitor
What drug classification is metronidazole in?
synthetic nitroimidazole antimicrobials
What needs to happen for metronidazole to be converted into its ultimate active form?
must be metabolised
What is the mode of action of metronidazole?
- inhibition of DNA replication
- fragment existing DNA (metabolites)
- penetrates cells equally
- enzymatic reduction (oxidoreductase)
- mutation bacterial genome
- bactericidal
What is the spectrum of activity of metronidazole?
- obligate anaerobes
- gram -ve anaerobes
- bacteriodes (melaninogenicus)
- clostridium (C.diff)
- fusobacterium spp
- prevotella
- peptostreptococcus
all anaerobic bacteria
What is the killing mechanism of metronidazole dependent on?
CONCENTRATION dependent
- no time requirement
- ensure concentration is sufficiently high for bacterial killing to be assured
What is the oral absorption % of metronidazole?
around 100%
What is the half life of metronidazole?
8 hours
What is the peak serum level and peak serum time of metronidazole?
4-6.5microg/mL
60-120 minutes
What is the protein binding % of metronidazole?
8-11%
Where does metronidazole penetrate?
wide volume distribution
penetrates saliva and CNS
foetal circulation (avoid in first trimester)
Where is metronidazole metabolised and eliminated?
metabolised liver - mutagenic potential, 5 active metabolites
eliminated kidney - can cause reddish/brown excretion colour
When should you avoid prescribing metronidazole in women?
women in first trimester
nursing mothers
What are the indications for use of metronidazole?
first choice
- anaerobes suspected
- acute necrotising forms of gingivitis
- pericoronitis (with systemic involvement)
- dental abscess
- beta-lactamase producing anaerobes
- alternative to penicillin (allergy)
What is the first choice of antibiotic?
metronidazole
Why is metronidazole considered safe?
high safety margin - no lethal dose
What drugs interact with metronidazole and what occurs?
- alcohol = disulfiram-like reaction
- phenytoin and phenobarbitol = reduce 1/2 life and essentially increase metbolism of metronidazole
- cimetidine = decreases liver enzyme activity increasing 1/2 life, and decreasing plasma clearance
- lithium
- warfarin - potentiates anticoagulant effect
What are the main adverse side effects of metronidazole?
- GI
- nausea, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhoea, epigastric distress, abdominal cramping
- constipation?
- convulsive seizure
- peripheral neuropathy (paraesthesia extremities)
- dizziness, vertifo, incoordination, ataxia, irritability, depression, weakness, insomnia
- prolonged or intensive
- unpleasant taste, sharp/metallic, furred tongue, glossitis, stomatitis, candida
What are the rare but reversible side effects of metronidazole?
- blood dyscrasia
- temporary neutropenia
- thrombocytopenia
What kind of resistance can occur with metronidazole?
limited resistance
- chromosomal/plasmid mediated - reducing active metabolites
- parasitic disease - developing countries
- helicobacter pylori
What is helicobacter pylori resistant to?
metronidazole
What causes the disulfiram-like reaction with metronidazole?
alcohol
- disulfirum blocks aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme which blocks normal metabolism of alcohol
- acetylaldehyde cannot metabolise to acetate and therefore marked increase in acetaldehyde after alcohol consumption
- increased serum levels of acetaldehyde is what causes hangover
metronidazole and disulfirum similar structures and effect
What are the symptoms of a increased serum level of acetaldehyde?
“one massive hangover”
- vasodilation, hotness and flushing, increased HR, increased resp. rate, lowered BP, dry mouth/throat, bronchoconstriction, allergy reactions, nausea, headache
What is a typical dose of metronidazole?
200-400mg 8-12hourly for 3-5 days
What is a typical dose of metronidazole?
200-400mg 8-12hourly for 3-5 days
Metronidazole is administered via what route?
oral
Does metronidazole require a loading dose?
no