Trivium Pharmacology Fundamentals 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of drug interaction occurs when one drug increases the effect of another beyond what either would produce alone?
- Synergism
- Antagonism
- Potentiation (Correct answer)
- Additive effect
Correct answer: Potentiation
Potentiation occurs when one drug enhances the effect of another drug that has little or no effect by itself.
Question 2: What does 'PRN' mean on a medication order?
- As needed (Correct answer)
- Immediately
- At bedtime
- Every morning
Correct answer: As needed
PRN comes from the Latin 'pro re nata,' meaning 'as needed' or 'as the situation demands.'
Question 3: A patient develops tolerance to a drug. This means:
- Increased doses are needed to achieve the same effect (Correct answer)
- The patient is allergic to the drug
- The drug is no longer metabolized
- The patient experiences fewer side effects
Correct answer: Increased doses are needed to achieve the same effect
Tolerance occurs when the body adapts to a drug over time, requiring higher doses to produce the original therapeutic effect.
Question 4: Which administration route bypasses the first-pass effect?
- Intravenous (Correct answer)
- Oral
- Rectal
- Sublingual
Correct answer: Intravenous
Intravenous administration delivers drugs directly to systemic circulation, completely bypassing hepatic first-pass metabolism.
Question 5: What is a 'loading dose'?
- A higher initial dose given to quickly reach therapeutic levels (Correct answer)
- A reduced dose given to elderly patients
- The dose given at the end of treatment
- A dose adjusted for renal impairment
Correct answer: A higher initial dose given to quickly reach therapeutic levels
A loading dose is a larger-than-normal initial dose used to rapidly achieve a therapeutic plasma concentration.
Question 6: Which suffix typically indicates a drug belongs to the beta-blocker class?
- -olol (Correct answer)
- -pril
- -sartan
- -statin
Correct answer: -olol
Beta-blockers commonly end in '-olol,' as seen in metoprolol, atenolol, and propranolol.
Question 7: What is the meaning of 'pharmacokinetics'?
- How the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes a drug (Correct answer)
- How a drug produces its therapeutic effect
- The study of adverse drug reactions
- The classification of drugs by their chemical structure
Correct answer: How the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes a drug
Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to a drug: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
Trivium Pharmacology Fundamentals 3
Which type of drug interaction occurs when one drug increases the effect of another beyond what either would produce alone?