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Pharmacology of Substance Abuse Flashcards

7 cards from real CADC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Pharmacology of Substance Abuse flashcards as text

  1. A client abruptly stops daily benzodiazepine use after 18 months. Which withdrawal symptom would be most medically concerning?

    Answer: Tonic-clonic seizures

    Abrupt benzodiazepine withdrawal can produce life-threatening tonic-clonic seizures due to GABA-A receptor down-regulation and glutamate rebound.

  2. Cocaine's primary mechanism of action in producing euphoria involves:

    Answer: Blocking the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine

    Cocaine blocks monoamine transporter proteins (DAT, SERT, NET), preventing reuptake and causing accumulation of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in the synapse.

  3. Which pharmacokinetic factor most determines how long a benzodiazepine's effects last in the body?

    Answer: Half-life and presence of active metabolites

    The half-life determines how quickly a drug is eliminated, and long-acting benzodiazepines like diazepam produce active metabolites that extend their clinical duration.

  4. Methamphetamine differs from cocaine primarily because methamphetamine:

    Answer: Actively causes release of dopamine in addition to blocking reuptake

    Methamphetamine enters neurons and reverses the dopamine transporter, causing active dopamine release into the synapse in addition to blocking reuptake — making it more potent than cocaine.

  5. Which opioid medication used in MAT has a 'ceiling effect' on respiratory depression, making it safer in overdose compared to methadone?

    Answer: Buprenorphine

    Buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid agonist with a ceiling effect on respiratory depression, significantly reducing overdose risk compared to full agonists like methadone.

  6. The 'first-pass effect' is clinically significant in substance abuse pharmacology because it:

    Answer: Reduces the amount of drug reaching systemic circulation after oral ingestion

    The first-pass effect describes hepatic metabolism of orally ingested drugs before they reach systemic circulation, which is why some drugs are less effective orally and why intravenous use bypasses it.

  7. Disulfiram (Antabuse) treats alcohol use disorder by:

    Answer: Blocking aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing acetaldehyde accumulation

    Disulfiram inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing toxic acetaldehyde to accumulate when alcohol is consumed, producing a highly aversive reaction (flushing, nausea, palpitations).