Nursing Review: Psychobiologic Disorders, Immunological Medications, and Emergency Antidotes

Vocabulary flashcards covering substance use disorders, psychobiologic treatments, immunological principles, antineoplastic nursing safety, and toxicological reversal agents.

Substance use disorder

Repeated substance use resulting in clinically significant impairment, characterized by continued use despite harm, loss of control, and risk of relapse.

Tolerance

A condition in which increasingly larger amounts of a substance are required to achieve the same effect.

Dependence

A state of physiologic adaptation to a substance in which reducing or discontinuing use precipitates withdrawal symptoms.

Craving

A strong, intense desire or urge to use a substance.

Withdrawal

A constellation of physical and psychological symptoms that emerge as substance levels in the body decline, with severity depending on the specific agent.

Codependency / Enabling

Behavioral patterns in which friends or family take over responsibilities or protect the individual from consequences, potentially sustaining the substance use.

CAGE

A four-question screening assessment for problematic alcohol use addressing Cutting down, Annoyance with criticism, Guilt, and using an Eye-opener.

CIWA-Ar

The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, revised; an assessment protocol used for repeated scoring of alcohol withdrawal severity to direct treatment.

COWS

The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale; an assessment instrument used to evaluate and score symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

Disulfiram

An alcohol abstinence maintenance medication that acts as an aversion therapy by causing a severe acetaldehyde reaction upon ethanol ingestion; requires at least 12 hours of confirmed abstinence before starting.

Acamprosate

An oral maintenance medication administered three times daily to support abstinence following alcohol cessation; causes diarrhea and requires baseline assessment of kidney function.

Methadone

A long-acting full opioid agonist used for opioid use disorder maintenance and withdrawal management, typically dispensed through certified opioid treatment programs.

Buprenorphine

A partial opioid agonist prescribed in office-based settings to reduce cravings and withdrawal in opioid use disorder; careful initiation timing is required to prevent precipitated withdrawal.

Varenicline

A partial nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist that reduces cravings and blocks nicotine reward during smoking cessation; taken after meals with water and monitored for vivid dreams and mood changes.

Innate immunity

An immediate, nonspecific host defense system that includes physical barriers (skin, mucosa), inflammation, and phagocytes.

Adaptive immunity

An antigen-specific immune response mediated by B cells and T cells that includes immunologic memory.

B cells

Lymphocytes responsible for humoral immunity that differentiate into plasma cells to synthesize antibodies and generate memory cells.

T cells

Lymphocytes that mediate cellular immunity, including helper T cells that coordinate immune responses and cytotoxic T cells that destroy infected or abnormal cells.

Mast cells

Immune cells that undergo degranulation to release histamine and other mediators during inflammatory and allergic reactions.

Histamine

An endogenous chemical mediator released by mast cells that causes vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, erythema, and itching.

Leukotrienes

Inflammatory mediators that promote bronchoconstriction, vascular permeability, and mucus production.

Prostaglandins

Inflammatory mediators synthesized via the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway that mediate pain, fever, and vascular changes.

Natural active immunity

Adaptive protection resulting from the host's own immune response and antibody production following an active natural infection.

Artificial active immunity

Protection induced when a vaccine or toxoid stimulates the recipient's immune system to produce antibodies and memory cells.

Natural passive immunity

Temporary immunity acquired via the transfer of maternal antibodies to the fetus across the placenta or to the infant through breast milk.

Artificial passive immunity

Immediate, short-term protection provided by the therapeutic injection of preformed antibodies or immunoglobulins.

Bactericidal

A mechanism of antimicrobial action that directly kills bacterial cells.

Bacteriostatic

A mechanism of antimicrobial action that inhibits bacterial growth and replication rather than directly killing the organism.

Febrile neutropenia

An oncologic emergency presenting as an elevated temperature in an immunocompromised patient following chemotherapy; requires immediate notification and workup under a sepsis protocol.

Extravasation

The accidental infiltration of a vesicant antineoplastic agent into perivascular tissues; managed by immediately halting the infusion without flushing the catheter.

Naloxone

A competitive pure opioid antagonist used for emergency opioid reversal that may require repeat dosing because its half-life can be shorter than that of the underlying opioid.

Flumazenil

A benzodiazepine receptor antagonist indicated in select overdose scenarios; carries a significant risk of precipitating life-threatening seizures in physically dependent clients.

Protamine sulfate

An antidote that completely neutralizes unfractionated heparin and provides partial reversal for low-molecular-weight heparin.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

The specific antidote administered to mitigate hepatic necrosis in acetaminophen overdose; tracked alongside AST/ALT, INR, and drug levels.

Digoxin immune Fab

An antibody fragment antidote administered for severe, life-threatening digoxin toxicity while monitoring serum potassium and cardiac rhythm.

Calcium gluconate

An intravenous therapy given to reverse hypermagnesemia or magnesium sulfate toxicity; monitored using respiratory rate, deep tendon reflexes, and urine output.

Deferoxamine

An iron-chelating agent indicated for severe acute iron intoxication.

Leucovorin

A reduced folate rescue agent administered to bypass the metabolic block induced by toxic doses of methotrexate.

Hydroxocobalamin

The specific antidote administered for acute cyanide poisoning, particularly following smoke inhalation.

Sodium bicarbonate (IV)

An alkaline intravenous solution administered during tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) toxicity to narrow wide QRS complexes and manage acidosis.

Fomepizole

An alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor indicated as an antidote for toxic alcohol poisoning involving ethylene glycol or methanol.