Pharmacology Cheat Sheet 2026
The 30 highest-yield Pharmacology facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here β free, no sign-up.
100 questions
120 min time limit
70.00% to pass
- A patient with pheochromocytoma requires surgical removal. Which alpha-blocker is used preoperatively to prevent hypertensive crisis? β Phenoxybenzamine
- Why is intravenous administration considered the gold standard for 100% bioavailability? β IV drugs are delivered directly into systemic circulation with no absorption barrier
- Which drug used for Parkinson's disease works by inhibiting MAO-B and thereby preserving dopamine in the striatum? β Selegiline
- A patient on guanethidine for severe hypertension is also prescribed a tricyclic antidepressant. The expected interaction is: β Reduced antihypertensive effect because TCAs block neuronal uptake of guanethidine
- Vecuronium reverses neuromuscular blockade is achieved with neostigmine. What must be co-administered to prevent bradycardia? β Atropine or glycopyrrolate
- Dopamine at low doses (1β3 mcg/kg/min) causes renal vasodilation primarily via: β Dopamine D1 receptor stimulation
- Which of the following is an example of Phase II drug metabolism? β Glucuronide conjugation
- When two drugs are combined and the effect equals the sum of their individual effects, this is called: β Additive effect
- Which autonomic drug is used to treat neurogenic orthostatic hypotension by activating peripheral alpha-1 receptors? β Midodrine
- Which antibiotic class is contraindicated in children under 8 years of age due to risk of permanent tooth discoloration? β Tetracyclines
- Which term describes the irreversible loss of drug from the body through all elimination pathways combined? β Total body clearance
- Radioactive iodine (I-131) treats hyperthyroidism by: β Destroying overactive thyroid tissue via beta radiation
- Protean agonism describes a situation in which a partial agonist: β Acts as an agonist in normal tissue but an antagonist in constitutively active systems
- Phenytoin exhibits zero-order kinetics at therapeutic doses. The clinical implication is that: β Small dose increases can cause disproportionately large plasma level increases
- A patient taking warfarin starts a course of fluconazole. What clinical adjustment is most likely needed? β Decrease warfarin dose
- Which antiparasitic drug is first-line for treatment of malaria caused by chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum? β Artemether-lumefantrine
- Which adverse effect is most associated with ACE inhibitors and results from bradykinin accumulation? β Dry persistent cough
- Which pharmacodynamic interaction occurs when two drugs together produce an effect less than additive? β Antagonism
- A patient takes a non-selective beta-blocker and later uses an epinephrine auto-injector. Which cardiovascular effect is most likely? β Severe hypertension with bradycardia
- Which drug combination is most likely to cause serotonin syndrome? β Phenelzine + meperidine
- N-acetylation polymorphism classifies patients as slow or fast acetylators. Slow acetylators taking isoniazid are at greatest risk for which adverse effect? β Hepatotoxicity from acetylhydrazine accumulation
- A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a submaximal response even at full receptor occupancy is called a: β Partial agonist
- A patient is a 'poor metabolizer' of CYP2C19. They are prescribed omeprazole. What is the expected outcome compared to an extensive metabolizer? β Higher omeprazole plasma levels
- A patient with pheochromocytoma is scheduled for surgery. Which drug class should be started FIRST to prevent hypertensive crisis during tumor manipulation? β Alpha-blockers before beta-blockers
- A patient develops C. difficile infection after antibiotic therapy. Which drug class most commonly precipitates this complication? β Fluoroquinolones
- Which effect distinguishes norepinephrine from epinephrine at clinical doses? β Norepinephrine has no beta-2 effect and causes reflex bradycardia
- Fenofibrate primarily lowers triglycerides by activating which nuclear receptor? β Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-Ξ±)
- A non-competitive antagonist is added to a preparation containing an agonist. How will this affect the agonist's dose-response curve? β The maximal effect (Emax) will be reduced, and the EC50 will remain unchanged.
- Which receptor family primarily signals through G-proteinβmediated second messenger cascades? β G-proteinβcoupled receptors (GPCRs)
- Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto) improves heart failure outcomes by combining an ARB with an inhibitor of which enzyme? β Neprilysin
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