CASAC Pharmacology and Co-Occurring Disorders 2

Question 1

Which medication is an opioid antagonist used as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder and requires complete detoxification before initiation?

Accepted Answer

Naltrexone

Answer

Methadone

Answer

Buprenorphine

Answer

Clonidine

Question 2

A client with co-occurring alcohol use disorder and major depressive disorder asks their counselor whether their depression will improve if they stop drinking. What is the most clinically accurate response?

Accepted Answer

Alcohol can cause depressive symptoms that may improve with abstinence, but an independent depressive disorder may require separate treatment — a period of abstinence helps clarify the diagnosis

Answer

Depression always resolves completely once alcohol use stops

Answer

Depression and alcohol use are completely unrelated conditions

Answer

Antidepressant medication is never effective for people with alcohol use disorders

Question 3

Which of the following substances acts primarily on the dopamine system by blocking reuptake, producing intense but short-lived euphoria and carrying a high risk of cardiovascular complications?

Accepted Answer

Cocaine

Answer

Cannabis

Answer

Psilocybin

Answer

Benzodiazepines

Question 4

What is the primary mechanism of action of disulfiram (Antabuse) in the treatment of alcohol use disorder?

Accepted Answer

It blocks the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing an aversive reaction when alcohol is consumed

Answer

It reduces alcohol cravings by modulating glutamate receptors

Answer

It substitutes for alcohol at GABA receptors

Answer

It blocks alcohol absorption in the stomach

Question 5

A client diagnosed with schizophrenia and methamphetamine use disorder reports hearing voices that command them to use drugs. This presentation is best understood as:

Accepted Answer

An example of how co-occurring psychotic symptoms can directly undermine substance abuse recovery and require integrated psychiatric and addiction treatment

Answer

A normal part of methamphetamine use that does not require intervention

Answer

Evidence that the client is malingering

Answer

A side effect of antipsychotic medication

Question 6

Which of the following is a key difference between buprenorphine and methadone in the treatment of opioid use disorder?

Accepted Answer

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist with a ceiling effect on respiratory depression, while methadone is a full agonist without such a ceiling

Answer

Buprenorphine is more likely to cause fatal overdose than methadone

Answer

Methadone can be prescribed by any physician, while buprenorphine requires a special clinic

Answer

Both medications work identically on opioid receptors