Chemical Dependency Counselor License Exam Pharmacology of Substance Use 3 โ Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client maintained on buprenorphine/naloxone reports that injecting the film produces little effect. This is because:
- Buprenorphine has a ceiling effect on euphoria regardless of route
- Naloxone becomes active parenterally and precipitates withdrawal (Correct answer)
- The film cannot be dissolved to injectable concentration
- Buprenorphine is destroyed by blood pH
Correct answer: Naloxone becomes active parenterally and precipitates withdrawal
Naloxone has negligible sublingual bioavailability but is highly active intravenously, so injecting the combination product precipitates opioid withdrawal in dependent users.
Question 2: MDMA's acute toxicity most commonly causes death through which mechanism?
- Respiratory depression similar to opioids
- Hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, and multi-organ failure (Correct answer)
- Cardiac arrhythmia from potassium depletion
- Acute liver failure from direct hepatotoxicity
Correct answer: Hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, and multi-organ failure
MDMA causes serotonin-mediated hyperthermia that, compounded by physical exertion and dehydration, leads to muscle breakdown, renal failure, and death.
Question 3: Which characteristic of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) makes it particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol?
- GHB blocks alcohol metabolism, causing acetaldehyde buildup
- Both substances are CNS depressants with synergistic effects at GABA receptors (Correct answer)
- GHB inhibits alcohol absorption in the gut
- Alcohol converts GHB to a toxic metabolite
Correct answer: Both substances are CNS depressants with synergistic effects at GABA receptors
GHB and alcohol both potentiate GABA-mediated inhibition; combined use produces synergistic CNS and respiratory depression, dramatically narrowing the margin between intoxication and fatal overdose.
Question 4: Regarding methamphetamine neurotoxicity, long-term use is most associated with damage to:
- Cholinergic neurons in the hippocampus
- Dopaminergic and serotonergic terminals in the striatum and prefrontal cortex (Correct answer)
- Opioid peptide neurons in the periaqueductal gray
- Glutamate receptors in the cerebellum
Correct answer: Dopaminergic and serotonergic terminals in the striatum and prefrontal cortex
Methamphetamine causes oxidative stress and excitotoxicity that selectively destroy dopamine and serotonin nerve terminals, contributing to lasting cognitive and mood deficits.
Question 5: The concept of 'set and setting' is most directly relevant to which substance's variable psychological effects?
- Heroin
- Nicotine
- LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) (Correct answer)
- Alcohol at low doses
Correct answer: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Psychedelic experiences with LSD and similar hallucinogens are heavily shaped by the user's mindset and the physical/social environment, a relationship first articulated by Timothy Leary and later validated empirically.
Question 6: Tolerance to opioids develops most rapidly for which effect?
- Analgesia and euphoria (Correct answer)
- Constipation
- Miosis (pupil constriction)
- Hormonal suppression
Correct answer: Analgesia and euphoria
Analgesic and euphoric effects undergo rapid tolerance through receptor downregulation and desensitization, while constipation and miosis show minimal tolerance even with prolonged use.
Question 7: A urine drug screen using immunoassay is MOST likely to produce a false positive for opioids in a client who reports taking:
- Ibuprofen
- Quinolone antibiotics
- Dextromethorphan
- Poppy seed-containing food (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Poppy seed-containing food
Poppy seeds contain morphine and codeine; ingestion can produce urine morphine concentrations exceeding the standard 300 ng/mL cutoff used in many immunoassay screens.