Fundamentals

What is the official name of a medication?

The name that appears in the USP or NF, usually the same as the generic name and not capitalized

What is the generic name of a medication?

The nonproprietary name

What is the trade name of a medication?

The proprietary name

What is an example of a generic medication name?

Furosemide

What is an example of a trade medication name?

Lasix

What is a plant-derived medication source?

Atropine Sulfate, Morphine Sulfate, or Digitalis

What plant is Atropine Sulfate derived from?

Atropa Belladona

What plant is Morphine Sulfate derived from?

Opium plant

What plant is Digitalis derived from?

Purple Foxglove

What are examples of mineral-derived medications?

Sodium Bicarbonate and Calcium Chloride

What are examples of animal-derived medications?

Insulin and Oxytocin

What animals have historically been used as insulin sources?

Swine and cows

What animal source has historically been used for oxytocin?

Swine

What are examples of synthetic medications?

Lidocaine, Diazepam, and Midazolam

What trade name corresponds to Lidocaine?

Xylocaine

What trade name corresponds to Diazepam?

Valium

What trade name corresponds to Midazolam?

Versed

What medication suffix indicates an alpha blocker?

-zosin

What medication suffix indicates a beta blocker?

-lol

What medication suffix indicates an ACE inhibitor?

-pril

What medication suffix indicates a lipid-lowering medication?

-statin

What medication suffix indicates a thrombolytic?

-ase or -plase

What medication suffix indicates an anticoagulant?

-parin

What medication suffix indicates a corticosteroid?

-sone

What medication suffix indicates a penicillin antibiotic?

-cillin

What medication suffix indicates an aminoglycoside antibiotic?

-micin or -mycin

What medication class is Prazosin?

Alpha blocker

What medication class is Metoprolol?

Beta blocker

What medication class is Labetalol?

Beta blocker

What medication class is Lisinopril?

ACE inhibitor

What medication class is Simvastatin?

Lipid-lowering medication

What medication class is Alteplase?

Thrombolytic

What medication class is Heparin?

Anticoagulant

What medication class is Methylprednisolone?

Corticosteroid

What medication class is Amoxicillin?

Penicillin antibiotic

What is pharmacology?

The science of drugs used to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease

What is pharmacodynamics?

The study of how a drug acts on a living organism

What is pharmacokinetics?

The study of how the body handles a drug over time, including absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion

What is affinity?

A drug’s desire to attach to a receptor

What is efficacy?

A drug’s ability to create an action once attached to a receptor

What is an agonist?

A drug with both affinity and efficacy that attaches to a receptor and causes an effect

What is an antagonist?

A drug that inhibits other drugs from attaching to a receptor site

What are the six rights of medication administration?

Right medication, right dose, right time, right route, right patient, and right documentation

What is a drug’s half-life?

The time it takes to metabolize or eliminate half of the total amount of a drug in the body

After how many half-lives is a drug generally considered eliminated?

Five half-lives

If a drug has a 2-hour half-life and 50 mg is administered, how much remains after 2 hours?

25 mg

If a drug has a 2-hour half-life and 50 mg is administered, how much remains after 4 hours?

12.5 mg

What is the therapeutic index?

A measure of the relative safety of a drug

What is TD50?

The dose that is toxic in 50% of the population

What is ED50?

The dose that provides therapeutic effects in 50% of the population

What is the formula for therapeutic index?

TD50 ÷ ED50

What does a therapeutic index close to 1 indicate?

A more dangerous drug

What is absorption?

Introduction of a drug into the bloodstream

Which routes require absorption into the bloodstream?

IM, SQ, PO, inhalation, and dermal

Why does IVP bypass absorption?

Because the medication is administered directly into the bloodstream

What factor can hinder drug absorption?

Circulatory impairment

What is the first-pass effect?

Metabolism of a drug by the liver before it enters general circulation

Which medications are most affected by first-pass metabolism?

Drugs absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract

Why are some medications given IV or IM instead of PO?

To bypass the liver and avoid first-pass metabolism

What is distribution?

The movement of a drug throughout the body after entering the bloodstream

What is a free drug?

A drug traveling through the bloodstream by diffusion

What is drug binding?

Binding of a drug to albumin, tissues, or lipids

What blood protein commonly binds drugs?

Albumin

What is the blood-brain barrier?

A selective membrane that limits passage of substances into the brain

How do protein-bound drugs penetrate the blood-brain barrier?

Weakly

What medication cannot cross the blood-brain barrier?

Dopamine

What factors affect drug distribution?

Circulation, body temperature, blood pH, age, body weight, sex, and pregnancy

What does Pregnancy Category A mean?

Well-controlled human studies show no risk to the fetus

What does Pregnancy Category B mean?

No well-controlled human studies exist, but animal studies show no fetal risk

What does Pregnancy Category C mean?

No well-controlled human studies exist, and animal studies show adverse fetal effects

What does Pregnancy Category D mean?

Evidence of human fetal risk exists, but benefits may outweigh risks

What does Pregnancy Category X mean?

Fetal abnormalities are demonstrated and risks clearly outweigh benefits

Which pregnancy category has the lowest fetal risk?

Category A

Which pregnancy category indicates fetal abnormalities and contraindication in pregnancy?

Category X

What are the four components of pharmacokinetics?

Absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion

What process includes absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion?

Pharmacokinetics

What process studies how a drug affects the body?

Pharmacodynamics

What process studies how the body affects a drug?

Pharmacokinetics