Practice Test Geeks(CDCA) Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant Practice Test
← All CDCA Flashcard Decks

Pharmacology of Substances & Drug Effects Flashcards

7 cards from real CDCA 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 Substances & Drug Effects flashcards as text

  1. Which neurotransmitter is most directly associated with the rewarding effects of alcohol and opioids in the brain's reward pathway?

    Answer: Dopamine

    Dopamine released in the nucleus accumbens (mesolimbic pathway) is the primary neurotransmitter responsible for the reinforcing/rewarding effects of alcohol and opioids.

  2. A client reports feeling euphoric, slowed breathing, and pinpoint pupils after using heroin. These effects are consistent with which drug classification?

    Answer: CNS depressants/opioids

    Pinpoint pupils (miosis), euphoria, and respiratory depression are classic signs of opioid intoxication, which is a CNS depressant drug class.

  3. Which of the following is a long-acting opioid agonist used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder that requires daily clinic dispensing initially?

    Answer: Methadone

    Methadone is a long-acting full opioid agonist used in MAT that must be dispensed daily through licensed opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at the start of treatment.

  4. What is the primary pharmacological mechanism of alcohol (ethanol) in the brain?

    Answer: Enhancing GABA and inhibiting NMDA glutamate receptors

    Alcohol enhances inhibitory GABA activity and inhibits excitatory NMDA glutamate receptors, producing CNS depressant effects.

  5. A client who abruptly stops using benzodiazepines after prolonged heavy use is at greatest risk for which withdrawal complication?

    Answer: Life-threatening seizures and delirium tremens

    Benzodiazepine withdrawal (like alcohol withdrawal) can cause life-threatening seizures and delirium tremens due to rebound CNS excitability, requiring medical supervision.

  6. Methamphetamine primarily produces its effects by:

    Answer: Massively increasing dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin release while blocking reuptake

    Methamphetamine causes a massive surge of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin by promoting release and blocking reuptake, leading to intense stimulant effects.

  7. Naloxone (Narcan) is used in opioid overdose reversal because it acts as a(n):

    Answer: Competitive opioid receptor antagonist

    Naloxone is a competitive opioid receptor antagonist that rapidly displaces opioids from receptors, reversing life-threatening respiratory depression.