VTNE: Pharmacology Questions and
Answers 100% Pass
Who regulates controlled drugs? ✔✔The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the DEA
(Drug Enforcement Administration)
C-I ✔✔Schedule I drugs have the most abuse potential and no current medically acceptable use
Marajuana, heroin
C-II ✔✔Schedule II drugs have a high abuse potential and are prone to cause severe dependence
Written prescription only (except in emergencies with written script within 72 hrs)
No refills
Morphine, oxycodone, amphetamines, fentanyl
C-III ✔✔Schedule III drugs have moderate abuse potential with low to moderate risk of
dependence (more likely psychological than physical)
Ketamine, buprenorphine, anabolic steroids, intermediate-acting barbiturates
C-IV ✔✔Schedule IV drugs have a low abuse potential and low risk of dependence
,Benzodiazepines (diazepam), long-acting barbiturates (phenobarbital)
C-V ✔✔Schedule V drugs have the lowest risk of abuse or dependence of the scheduled drugs
Compounded drug ✔✔One that has been manipulated in a way that is not provided for in an
FDA approved drug label
Five "rights" of drug administration ✔✔Right drug
Right amount
Right route
Right time
Right patient
Therapeutic index (TI) ✔✔Comparison between a drug's ability to reach the desired effect and
its tendency to produce toxic effects
TI = LD50/ED50
The larger the number, the safer the drug
,LD50 ✔✔The dose of a drug that is lethal in 50% of the animals in a trial
ED50 ✔✔The dose of a drug that is effective in 50% of the animals in a trial
Blood-brain barrier ✔✔A mechanism that prevents some substances in the blood from reaching
the brain. It is achieved by brain capillaries, which unlike other capillaries elsewhere in the body,
are composed of endothelial cells sealed together in continuous tight junctions and surrounded
by astrocytes that contribute to the selective passage of substances. Lipid-soluble substances
such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and most anaesthetics, as well as glucose, oxygen and water,
pass rapidly into brain cells, whereas proteins, most antibiotics and ions do not enter or enter
very slowly. The mechanism protects brain cells against harmful substances and pathogens.
Biotransformation ✔✔The process by which the body inactivates and breaks down a drug and
readies it for excretion
Types include hydroxylation and acetylation
Also known as metabolism
Metabolite ✔✔Byproduct produced when a drug is metabolized
Can be active or inactive
, Antimicrobial drugs ✔✔Kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi)
Classified as -cidal (kill the organism) or -static (prevent its replication)
Antimicrobials work via five mechanisms. Name them and give an example of each. ✔✔1.
Disruption of microbial cell wall development (penicillins)
2. Damaging the cell membrane of static / adult populations (polymyxins)
3. Interference with microbial protein synthesis (aminoglycosides)
4. Inhibition of nucleic acid production (griseofulvin, ketoconazole)
5. Disruption of microbial metabolic activity (sulfa drugs)
Classes of antimicrobials ✔✔Aminoglycosides (gentamicin)
Penicillins (amoxicillin)
Cephalosporins (cephalexin)
Tetracyclines (doxycycline)
Quinolones (enrofloxacin)
Lincosamides / Macrolides (clindamycin)
Sulfonamides (sulfadimethoxine)
Answers 100% Pass
Who regulates controlled drugs? ✔✔The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the DEA
(Drug Enforcement Administration)
C-I ✔✔Schedule I drugs have the most abuse potential and no current medically acceptable use
Marajuana, heroin
C-II ✔✔Schedule II drugs have a high abuse potential and are prone to cause severe dependence
Written prescription only (except in emergencies with written script within 72 hrs)
No refills
Morphine, oxycodone, amphetamines, fentanyl
C-III ✔✔Schedule III drugs have moderate abuse potential with low to moderate risk of
dependence (more likely psychological than physical)
Ketamine, buprenorphine, anabolic steroids, intermediate-acting barbiturates
C-IV ✔✔Schedule IV drugs have a low abuse potential and low risk of dependence
,Benzodiazepines (diazepam), long-acting barbiturates (phenobarbital)
C-V ✔✔Schedule V drugs have the lowest risk of abuse or dependence of the scheduled drugs
Compounded drug ✔✔One that has been manipulated in a way that is not provided for in an
FDA approved drug label
Five "rights" of drug administration ✔✔Right drug
Right amount
Right route
Right time
Right patient
Therapeutic index (TI) ✔✔Comparison between a drug's ability to reach the desired effect and
its tendency to produce toxic effects
TI = LD50/ED50
The larger the number, the safer the drug
,LD50 ✔✔The dose of a drug that is lethal in 50% of the animals in a trial
ED50 ✔✔The dose of a drug that is effective in 50% of the animals in a trial
Blood-brain barrier ✔✔A mechanism that prevents some substances in the blood from reaching
the brain. It is achieved by brain capillaries, which unlike other capillaries elsewhere in the body,
are composed of endothelial cells sealed together in continuous tight junctions and surrounded
by astrocytes that contribute to the selective passage of substances. Lipid-soluble substances
such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and most anaesthetics, as well as glucose, oxygen and water,
pass rapidly into brain cells, whereas proteins, most antibiotics and ions do not enter or enter
very slowly. The mechanism protects brain cells against harmful substances and pathogens.
Biotransformation ✔✔The process by which the body inactivates and breaks down a drug and
readies it for excretion
Types include hydroxylation and acetylation
Also known as metabolism
Metabolite ✔✔Byproduct produced when a drug is metabolized
Can be active or inactive
, Antimicrobial drugs ✔✔Kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi)
Classified as -cidal (kill the organism) or -static (prevent its replication)
Antimicrobials work via five mechanisms. Name them and give an example of each. ✔✔1.
Disruption of microbial cell wall development (penicillins)
2. Damaging the cell membrane of static / adult populations (polymyxins)
3. Interference with microbial protein synthesis (aminoglycosides)
4. Inhibition of nucleic acid production (griseofulvin, ketoconazole)
5. Disruption of microbial metabolic activity (sulfa drugs)
Classes of antimicrobials ✔✔Aminoglycosides (gentamicin)
Penicillins (amoxicillin)
Cephalosporins (cephalexin)
Tetracyclines (doxycycline)
Quinolones (enrofloxacin)
Lincosamides / Macrolides (clindamycin)
Sulfonamides (sulfadimethoxine)
