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Alcohol and Drug Counselor Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances Flashcards

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  1. Acamprosate (Campral) is believed to help maintain alcohol abstinence by:

    Answer: Restoring balance between GABA and glutamate systems disrupted by chronic alcohol use

    Acamprosate modulates GABA and glutamate neurotransmission, reducing the hyperexcitability that drives protracted withdrawal and relapse risk.

  2. Inhalants produce their effects primarily through:

    Answer: CNS depression by enhancing GABA activity and inhibiting NMDA receptors

    Inhalants act similarly to alcohol and anesthetics by enhancing GABA activity and inhibiting NMDA glutamate receptors to produce CNS depression.

  3. Which of the following is an example of a Schedule II controlled substance?

    Answer: Oxycodone

    Oxycodone is a Schedule II substance, meaning it has high abuse potential but accepted medical use with severe restrictions.

  4. A client describes using PCP and experiencing feeling detached from their body and environment. This dissociative effect is due to PCP's action as a:

    Answer: NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist

    PCP blocks NMDA glutamate receptors, disrupting normal glutamatergic transmission and producing dissociative, anesthetic, and hallucinogenic effects.

  5. First-pass metabolism is clinically important because it means that drugs taken orally:

    Answer: May have significantly reduced bioavailability due to liver metabolism before entering systemic circulation

    First-pass metabolism occurs when orally ingested drugs are metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing their bioavailability.

  6. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) produces hallucinations primarily by acting as an agonist at:

    Answer: Serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the cerebral cortex

    LSD's hallucinogenic effects are primarily mediated through agonist activity at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the cortex, disrupting sensory processing.

  7. A client who has been drinking heavily for 10 years suddenly stops. The CIWA-Ar scale is used to:

    Answer: Assess the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms to guide treatment

    The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) quantifies alcohol withdrawal symptom severity to guide medical management and medication dosing.