PHARMACOLOGY PTCB QUIZ

Ranitidine is an example of a H2 receptor antagonist.

H2 receptor antagonists are used to treat dyspepsia, excess gastric acid production, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

H2 antagonists can be identified because they end in the suffix, -tidine. Other examples include cimetidine and famotidine.

Integrase inhibitors are used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Integrase is a viral enzyme that inserts viral genetic material into the host, target cell.

Examples: raltegravir, dolutegravir, elvitegravir.

Note: integrase inhibitors always end with the common suffix -gravir.

Antipyretic drugs are medicines used to reduce fever.

Therefore, aspirin is an antipyretic drug.

Of course, aspirin has other effects too – such as antiplatelet effects and anti-inflammatory effects – making it an effective NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).

Warfarin and heparin are both anticoagulant drugs, whereas morphine is an example of an opioid analgesic used to treat moderate-to-severe pain.

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are used to treat conditions with excess gastric acid production.

This includes dyspepsia (indigestion), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Examples: omeprazole, pantoprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole.

Note: all proton-pump inhibitors have the common suffix, -prazole.

Examples of rapid-acting insulins (peak time – 1 hour) include insulin aspart, lispro, and glulisine.

Note: remember the mnemonic, "there is no LAG with rapid-acting insulins" (Lispro / Aspart / Glulisine).

Insulin detemir and insulin glargine are long-acting insulins.

Isophane insulin is an intermediate-acting insulin.

Water soluble vitamins are readily eliminated from the body, meaning that they must be consumed daily to ensure adequate and continuous supply is available for the body. B and C vitamins are water soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. Because they are fat soluble, they are stored readily in the body. As such, given these bodily stores, fat soluble vitamins don't need to be consumed as regularly as water soluble vitamins.

Note: when you take vitamin C with iron-rich foods (eggs, green-leafy vegetables etc.), it enhances the absorption of iron by as much as 70 percent!

Statins - such as simvastatin and atorvastatin and lovastatin - are used to treat elevated blood cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia.

Statins work by inhibiting the enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase – a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway of hepatic cholesterol production.

Penicillins (amoxicillin, ampicillin) and cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cefazolin, cefpodoxime etc.) both contain the beta-lactam ring structure – a key and necessary structure for these drugs to exert their antibacterial therapeutic effects. Without the beta-lactam ring structure, these drugs are ineffective at fighting against bacterial infections.

The beta-lactam ring is a 4-membered ring that helps to confer antibacterial properties.

Bacteria can produce an enzyme, called beta-lactamase, that tries to break down this ring structure. The more beta-lactam rings destroyed, the more bacteria can flourish. This is one of the factors that leads to an increase in antibiotic resistance in these drugs.

Histamine antagonists at the H1 receptor help relieve allergic symptoms - such as itch and hives and nasal congestion.

Examples: cetirizine, loratadine, fexofenadine, chlorpheniramine

Do not confuse H1 antagonists with H2 antagonists.

Unlike H1 antagonists, H2 antagonists are used to treat conditions caused by excess gastric acid production, such as indigestion (dyspepsia) and GERD. Cimetidine is an example of a H2 antagonists.

Tramadol is a Schedule IV controlled drug.

Schedule IV drugs are those classified as, "with a low potential for abuse and a low risk of dependence".

Other examples of Schedule IV drugs include Xanax, Soma, Valium, Ativan, and Ambien.

Intrathecal drugs are administered into the spine.

Buccal drugs are administered into the space between the gum and cheek.

Intravesical drugs are administered into the bladder.

Intra-articular drugs are administered into joint spaces.

Beta-blockers can cause bronchospasm in patients suffering from asthma.

Note: bronchospasm is when the airways (bronchial tubes) go into spasm and contract. This makes it very difficult for patients with asthma to breathe.

Beta-2 agonists are used to treat asthma (drugs such as albuterol, formoterol, and terbutaline).

Therefore, blockade of beta-receptors can oppose the effects of beta-2 agonists and cause bronchoconstriction.

Rabeprazole is the active ingredient of the PPI medicine, AcipHex.

Proton-pump inhibitors are used in the treatment of excess gastric acid production and treat conditions such as dyspepsia and GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease).

Note: all proton-pump inhibitors can be identified by the suffix -prazole (omeprazole, pantoprazole etc.).

Sumatriptan is the active ingredient of the medicine, Imitrex - and is used in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches.

Note: all drugs with the suffix -triptan are used to treat migraine (zolmitriptan, sumatriptan, rizatriptan).

Drugs that block the PDE5 enzyme (phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme) are used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Examples include sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Note: sildenafil and tadalafil are also effective in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Note #2: PDE5 inhibitors can be identified as they all end in the suffix, -afil.

ACE inhibitors can cause a persistent, dry cough (due to a build-up of kinins in the lung).

Examples of ACE inhibitors include captopril, ramipril, lisinopril, and perindopril (any drug that ends in the suffix -pril is an ACE inhibitor).

ACE inhibitors are used in the treatment of cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension and heart failure.

The 'first-pass effect' refers to drug metabolism in which the concentration of an orally administered drug is reduced before it reaches the systemic circulation.

Put another way, orally administered drugs enter the GI tract where they are absorbed and pass through the liver.

The liver metabolises the drug, with the remaining drug entering the systemic bloodstream.

The first-pass effect refers to this phase of drug metabolism, where drug concentration falls due to metabolism in the liver.

The drug 'first passes' through the liver etc.

The daily purchase limit of pseudoephedrine is 3.6 grams (approximately a 15-day supply).

There is also a 9-gram per 30-day limit, too.

To purchase, the patient must present a government-issued identification and sign a logbook - usually electronic - which can be accessible by law enforcement at any time.

These limits remain in place to prevent illegal meth production.

Selegiline is an example of a MAO inhibitor (monoamine oxidase inhibitor).

Selegiline is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and major depressive disorder.

Note: patients taking certain MAO inhibitors are advised to avoid foods high in tyramine due to the risk of precipitating hypertensive crisis.