Question 1

A patient tells you that she is allergic to the drug her health care provider just prescribed.What is your best first response or action?

Accepted Answer

Many patients do not understand the difference between a side effect,an allergy,and an adverse effect.She may really have had an allergic reaction or perhaps just experienced a side effect that would not preclude her receiving this drug again.It is important to find out just what the reaction involved in order to determine whether she should receive this drug.

Question 2

Which type of drug name is "owned" by the company that manufactures it?

Accepted Answer

The chemical name is a drug's exact chemical composition.The generic name is the name assigned to the drug by the U.S.Adopted Names Council and is not owned by anyone.The category name refers to the type of drug (what it does or what it is used for)and is not an actual drug name.The trade name (brand name)is the name provided and owned by a specific drug's manufacturer.

Question 3

What is the term for a drug that has the same action as a naturally occurring body hormone or enzyme?

Accepted Answer

A drug agonist is an extrinsic drug that activates the receptor sites of a cell and mimics the actions of naturally occurring body substances (intrinsic drugs).A blocking agent is a drug antagonist.A chemical would not necessarily be a drug at all.A duplicator is not a pharmacologic term.

Question 4

Which drug or drug class is a "high alert" drug?

Accepted Answer

A high alert drug is one in which harm is likely to result if given at the wrong dose,to the wrong patient,or not given to the correct patient.Drugs classified as high alert drugs include potassium,narcotics (opioids),insulin,cancer chemotherapy drugs,and heparin (or any drug that strongly affects blood clotting).Penicillin,NSAIDs,and calcium are not considered high alert drugs.

Question 5

When teaching a patient about adverse drug reactions (ADRs),which precaution is most important to include?

Accepted Answer

An adverse drug reaction can cause tissue damage and death.Any patient experiencing an ADR needs to seek medical help immediately to reduce the chances of serious problems.

Question 6

How are the terms drug and medication different in the health care environment?

Accepted Answer

Although the lay public may think there is a distinction between these two terms,in health care they mean the same thing.Both are used to treat health problems and both can be misused.

Question 7

How are intrinsic drugs different from extrinsic drugs?

Accepted Answer

Intrinsic drugs are the hormones,enzymes,and other chemicals made by the body that change cell activity.Extrinsic drugs are manufactured from chemical,animal,or plant sources and must have a means of entering the body in order to change cell activity.

Question 8

A patient asks why he must take a "loading dose" for the first dose of his prescribed drug and then take lower doses after that.What is your best response?

Accepted Answer

A loading dose is most often used with drugs that have a long half-life.Giving a higher dose for the first dose allows it to reach the bloodstream rapidly and stay there.Smaller doses follow it to keep the blood drug level at a steady state without increasing the risk for a drug over dose.

Question 9

Which health care professional has the major responsibility for dispensing prescribed drugs under the direction of a pharmacist?

Accepted Answer

The physician and nurse practitioner have the major responsibility for prescribing drugs,not dispensing them.The licensed nurse has the primary responsibility for administering drugs,although under some circumstances a licensed nurse may dispense prescribed drugs but this is not his or her major responsibility in drug therapy.The pharmacy technician has the major responsibility of dispensing prescribed drugs under the direction of a licensed pharmacist.

Question 10

Which action could make a drug more potent?

Accepted Answer

Any condition that keeps a drug active inside the body longer can increase its potency.Slow drug elimination allows a drug to remain longer in the body.Normal or fast elimination does not.Slow drug absorption does not contribute to potency.

Question 11

In the United States,which group is responsible for enforcing established standards for drug manufacturing?

Accepted Answer

The standards for drug manufacture are established by the U.S.Pharmacopeia.These standards are enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.Neither the National Institutes of Health nor the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers has any authority to enforce drug standards.

Question 12

Which term describes the effect of a drug that improves body function?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of drug therapy is to take a drug to prevent,reduce,or correct a health problem.This response is any drug's intended action also known as a therapeutic response.

Question 13

Which feature of a drug agonist increases its potency?

Accepted Answer

A drug agonist binds to its receptors to cause a change in the cells and tissues.The longer a drug remains bound to its receptors and the more tightly it binds increases its duration of response,making it more potent than a drug that binds with its receptors for a shorter time.

Question 14

A patient asks why his drug to control high blood pressure has only one generic name and two different trade names.What is your best response?

Accepted Answer

The generic name is the name assigned to the drug by the U.S.Adopted Names Council and is not owned by anyone.The trade name (brand name)is the name provided and owned by a specific drug's manufacturer.More than one manufacturer can make and sell the same drug at the same time under a different trade name.Regardless of trade name,all drugs that have the same generic name must be alike in their chemical composition and strength.

Question 15

Why is it important to always ask a patient about his or her use of any herbal supplements or botanicals?

Accepted Answer

Many herbal supplements and botanicals have effects on cell activity.Sometimes these agents can make drug side effects worse or can reduce the effectiveness of a prescribed drug.Others can actually cause health problems.

Question 16

Which term describes how the body affects drug activity?

Accepted Answer

The term pharmacokinetics refers to drug metabolism and how the body changes a drug.Pharmacodynamics refers to how a drug works to change body function.Drug potency refers to how strongly or to what degree a drug exerts its effects.The therapeutic effect is closer to pharmacodynamics,meaning how a drug works to change body function.

Question 17

Which statement about agonist and antagonist drugs is true?

Accepted Answer

Agonist drugs excite a receptor to produce their intended responses on a cell or tissue in the same way that a naturally occurring substance does.Antagonist drugs produce their intended responses by binding to and blocking receptors.

Question 18

The prescriber tells a patient with allergies to use oral diphenhydramine (Benadryl)over-the-counter (OTC)to help manage her symptoms.She tells you that she would rather have a prescription for the "real" Benadryl because she knows it is stronger and will work better than the nonprescription form.What is your best response?

Accepted Answer

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)is no longer available by prescription only.The OTC form has the same strength,action,and side effects that the prescription only drug had.

Question 19

How are the effects of naturally occurring testosterone changed when a patient is taking a drug that is a testosterone agonist?

Accepted Answer

An agonist drug has the same effects of the naturally occurring drug.So,taking a testosterone agonist adds to the effects of the patient's naturally occurring testosterone.

Question 20

Which factor is a major disadvantage of the transdermal drug delivery route?

Accepted Answer

Once a transdermal drug moves through the skin,it must enter the bloodstream to reach its target tissue.If circulation is poor to the area where the transdermal drug is applied,very little,if any,of the drug will reach its target tissue.

Quiz 1: Drug Regulation, Actions, and Responses