Pharmacology and Medication Management Flashcards

What term describes the study of how drugs move through the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion?

Answer: Pharmacokinetics

Pharmacokinetics describes the movement of drugs through the body via absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Which route of drug administration provides the fastest onset of action?

Answer: Intravenous

Intravenous (IV) administration delivers drugs directly into the bloodstream, bypassing absorption and providing the fastest onset.

A medication has a 'narrow therapeutic index.' This means:

Answer: There is a small difference between therapeutic and toxic doses

A narrow therapeutic index means the margin between the effective dose and the toxic dose is small, requiring careful monitoring.

Naloxone is classified as an opioid antagonist because it:

Answer: Blocks opioid receptor sites and reverses opioid effects

Naloxone competitively blocks opioid receptors, reversing respiratory depression and other opioid effects.

The 'first-pass effect' refers to:

Answer: Hepatic metabolism of a drug before it reaches systemic circulation

The first-pass effect occurs when orally administered drugs are metabolized by the liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability.

A drug has a half-life of 6 hours. Approximately how long will it take for 97% of the drug to be eliminated from the body?

Answer: 30 hours

Approximately 5 half-lives are needed to eliminate ~97% of a drug; with a 6-hour half-life, that equals 30 hours.

Which medication class is most commonly associated with hypokalemia as a side effect?

Answer: Loop diuretics

Loop diuretics such as furosemide promote potassium excretion in the urine, commonly causing hypokalemia.

A patient taking warfarin requires monitoring with which laboratory value?

Answer: Prothrombin time/INR

Warfarin's anticoagulant effect is monitored using prothrombin time expressed as the International Normalized Ratio (INR).

Which medication is a short-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist used as a rescue inhaler for asthma?

Answer: Albuterol

Albuterol is a short-acting beta-2 agonist that causes rapid bronchodilation and is used for acute asthma relief.

Which adverse effects should a nurse most closely monitor in a patient receiving an ACE inhibitor?

Answer: Dry cough and hyperkalemia

ACE inhibitors commonly cause a persistent dry cough (due to bradykinin accumulation) and hyperkalemia (due to reduced aldosterone activity).

Which drug is the first-line treatment for acute anaphylaxis?

Answer: Epinephrine

Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, rapidly reversing bronchospasm, vasodilation, and other life-threatening effects.

Digoxin toxicity is most likely to develop when serum digoxin levels exceed:

Answer: 2.0 ng/mL

Digoxin toxicity typically occurs at serum levels above 2.0 ng/mL, though hypokalemia can cause toxicity at lower levels.

Which of the following is NOT a common side effect of opioid analgesics?

Answer: Diarrhea

Opioids cause constipation by slowing GI motility, not diarrhea; diarrhea is the opposite of the expected opioid GI effect.

A patient on long-term corticosteroid therapy is at greatest risk for which complication?

Answer: Hyperglycemia and immunosuppression

Long-term corticosteroids cause hyperglycemia by increasing gluconeogenesis and immunosuppression by impairing immune cell function.

Which action is most important before administering medications through a nasogastric (NG) tube?

Answer: Verifying tube placement

Verifying NG tube placement before medication administration is critical to prevent aspiration or delivery to an unintended anatomical location.

The 'five rights' of medication administration include all of the following EXCEPT:

Answer: Right manufacturer

The five rights are right patient, right drug, right dose, right time, and right route; manufacturer is not a standard right of medication administration.

Which type of insulin appears cloudy and should NEVER be administered intravenously?

Answer: NPH insulin

NPH insulin is a suspension that appears cloudy and must never be given IV; only clear insulins such as regular insulin may be administered intravenously.

A patient is receiving methotrexate therapy. Which laboratory values are most important to monitor?

Answer: Liver function tests and CBC

Methotrexate is hepatotoxic and myelosuppressive, making liver function tests and complete blood count essential monitoring parameters.

Which describes the correct Z-track injection technique?

Answer: Displace skin laterally, insert needle at 90 degrees, inject, then release skin

The Z-track method requires displacing skin laterally before insertion and releasing it after injection to prevent medication from tracking back to the skin surface.

A nurse needs to administer 10 mg of morphine IV. The available concentration is 5 mg/mL. How many mL should be administered?

Answer: 2 mL

Using Dose ÷ Concentration = Volume: 10 mg ÷ 5 mg/mL = 2 mL.