NURS 3305 Pharmacology Exam 1 Updated 2024/2025
Q&A with complete solution
Drug
Any chemical that can affect living processes
Medication
A substance used in treating disease or relieving pain
Generic name
Assigned by the United States Adopted Names Council. Each drug has only one of
these names. Also known as the nonproprietary name. Nonproprietary means it is not
protected by trademark or patent or copyright
Trade name
Also known as proprietary or brand names, are the names under which a drug is
marketed. These names are created by drug companies with the intention that they be
easy for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and consumers to recall and pronounce.
Since any drug can be marketed in different formulations and multiple companies, the
number of trade names that a drug can have is large. The FDA must approve trade
names. The review process tries to ensure that no two trade names are too similar.
Drug Class
A group of medications that may work in the same way, have a similar chemical
structure, or are used to treat the same health condition.
Therapeutic effect
The objective of drug therapy is to provide maximum benefit with minimal harm.
Constitutes a description of a drug using the nomenclature of chemistry
chemical name
A term referring to the chemical makeup of a drug rather than to the advertised
brand name under which the drug is sold. A term referring to any drug marketed
under its chemical name without advertising.
generic name
Distinguished to consumers as being produced and marketed exclusively by a
particular manufacturer. Multiple names may exist for a particular generic name.
Is capitalized.
trade (brand) name
Give an example of when the use of each name (generic or trade) might be
appropriate?
When large numbers of drug names are unfamiliar or not standardized, as is common
with many trade names, it creates the potential for confusion. For this reason, many
professionals advocate for the universal use of generic names. For instance, use of
trade names can result in "double medication" - with potentially disastrous results.
Because patients frequently see more than one healthcare provider, a patient may
receive prescriptions for the same drug by two (or more) prescribers. If those
prescriptions are written for different brand names, then the two bottles the patient
receives will be labeled with different names. Consequently, although both bottles
contain the same drug, the patient may not know it. If both medications are taken as
prescribed, excessive dosing will result. However, if generic names had been used,
,both labels would bear the same name, thereby informing the patient that both bottles
contain the same drug.
Can a generic drug always be substituted for a brand name drug?
Because all equivalent products - generic or brand name - contain the same dose of the
same drug, the only real concern with generic formulations is their rate and extent of
absorption. For a few drugs, a slight increase in absorption can result in toxicity, and a
slight decrease can result in therapeutic failure.
Hence, with agents for which a small difference in absorption can be important,
decisions to stay with a brand name should be based on the evidence and made on a
case-by-case basis.
Generics and branded drugs most often differ in their non-active ingredients
As a nurse or health care professional, what information might you want to
research about drugs that you are taking? What resources may be helpful?
A number of drug references have been compiled expressly for nurses. All address
topics of special interest to nurses, including information on administration, assessment,
evaluation, and patient education. Representative nursing drug references include
Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook and Mosby's Drug Guide for Nurses, both published
annually.
Schedule I Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have no currently accepted medical use in the United
States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential
for abuse.
Some examples are heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis),
peyote, methaqualone, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("Ecstasy").
Schedule II/IIN Controlled Substances (2/2N)
Substances in this schedule have a high potential for abuse, which may lead to severe
psychological or physical dependence.
Examples of Schedule ____ narcotics include: hydromorphone (Dilaudid®), methadone
(Dolophine®), meperidine (Demerol®), oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet®), and
fentanyl (Sublimaze®, Duragesic®). Other Schedule II narcotics include: morphine,
opium, codeine, and hydrocodone.
Examples of Schedule ____ stimulants include: amphetamine (Dexedrine®, Adderall®),
methamphetamine (Desoxyn®), and methylphenidate (Ritalin®).
Other Schedule ___ substances include: amobarbital, glutethimide, and pentobarbital.
Schedule III/IIIN Controlled Substances (3/3N)
Substances in this schedule have a potential for abuse less than substances in
Schedules I or II and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high
psychological dependence.
Examples of Schedule ____ narcotics include: products containing not more than 90
milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with Codeine®), and buprenorphine
,(Suboxone®).
Examples of Schedule ______ non-narcotics include: benzphetamine (Didrex®),
phendimetrazine, ketamine, and anabolic steroids such as Depo®-Testosterone
Schedule IV Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances in
Schedule III.
Examples of Schedule ____ substances include: alprazolam (Xanax®), carisoprodol
(Soma®), clonazepam (Klonopin®), clorazepate (Tranxene®), diazepam (Valium®),
lorazepam (Ativan®), midazolam (Versed®), temazepam (Restoril®), and triazolam
(Halcion®).
Schedule V Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances listed
in Schedule IV and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of
certain narcotics.
Examples of Schedule ___ substances include: cough preparations containing not more
than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams (Robitussin AC®,
Phenergan with Codeine®), and ezogabine.
What is the "placebo effect"?
The component of a drug response that is caused by psychological factors and not by
the biochemical or physiologic properties of the drug. Although it is impossible to assess
with precision the contribution that psychological factors make to the overall response to
any particular drug, it is widely believed that, with practically all medications, some
fraction of the total response results from a placebo effect. Although placebo effects are
responses to the inactive placebo, the presence of a placebo response does not imply
that a patient's original pathology was "all in the head."
Is the placebo effect bad or good? How can an RN use this information?
Not all placebo responses are beneficial; placebo responses can also be negative. If a
patient believes that a medication is going to be effective, then placebo responses are
likely to help promote recovery. Conversely, if a patient is convinced that a particular
medication is ineffective or perhaps even harmful, then placebo effects are likely to
detract from his or her progress.
Because the placebo effect depends on the patient's attitude toward the medicine,
fostering a positive attitude may help promote beneficial effects. In this regard, it is
desirable that all members of the healthcare team present the patient an optimistic (but
realistic) assessment of the effects that therapy is likely to produce.
How common are medication errors?
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), every year medication errors injure at least
1.5 million Americans, and kill an estimated 7000. The financial costs are staggering:
among hospitalized patients alone, treatment of drug-related injuries costs about $3.5
billion a year.
Which person works in an inpatient setting, whose actions are not checked by
anyone else?
, Because the nurse is the last person who can catch mistakes made by others, and
because no one is there to catch mistakes the nurse might make, the nurse bears a
heavy responsibility for ensuring patient safety.
Who is the "last line of defense" related to drug errors, according to the text?
the nurse
What is the most common drug error that leads to a client death?
Of the human factors that can cause errors, performance deficits (eg, administering a
drug IV instead of IM) are the most common (29.8%)
What is a "read-back" system for verbal orders?
Verbal orders given to pharmacists or medical staff are transcribed and then read back
to the prescriber
Parental Routes of Medication Administration
Intravenous (IV)
Intramuscular (IM)
Subcutaneous (subQ)
Enteral Routes of Medication Administration
Oral (PO)
Intravenous (IV)
Barriers to Absorption: None (absorption is bypassed)
Absorption Pattern: Instantaneous
Advantages: Rapid, onset, and hence ideal for emergencies. Precise control over drug
labels. Permits use of large fluid volumes. Permits use of irritant drugs.
Disadvantages: Irreversible. Expensive. Inconvenient. Difficult to do, and hence poorly
suited for self-administration. Risk of fluid overload, infection, and embolism. Drug must
be water-soluble.
Intramuscular (IM)
Barriers to Absorption: Capillary wall (easy to pass)
Absorption Pattern: Rapid with water-soluble drugs. Slow with poorly soluble drugs.
Advantages: Permits use of poorly soluble drugs. Permits use of depot preparations.
Disadvantages: Possible discomfort. Inconvenient. Potential for injury.
Subcutaneous (subQ)
Barriers to Absorption: Same as IM
Absorption Pattern: Same as IM
Advantages: Same as IM
Disadvantages: Same as IM
Oral (PO)
Q&A with complete solution
Drug
Any chemical that can affect living processes
Medication
A substance used in treating disease or relieving pain
Generic name
Assigned by the United States Adopted Names Council. Each drug has only one of
these names. Also known as the nonproprietary name. Nonproprietary means it is not
protected by trademark or patent or copyright
Trade name
Also known as proprietary or brand names, are the names under which a drug is
marketed. These names are created by drug companies with the intention that they be
easy for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and consumers to recall and pronounce.
Since any drug can be marketed in different formulations and multiple companies, the
number of trade names that a drug can have is large. The FDA must approve trade
names. The review process tries to ensure that no two trade names are too similar.
Drug Class
A group of medications that may work in the same way, have a similar chemical
structure, or are used to treat the same health condition.
Therapeutic effect
The objective of drug therapy is to provide maximum benefit with minimal harm.
Constitutes a description of a drug using the nomenclature of chemistry
chemical name
A term referring to the chemical makeup of a drug rather than to the advertised
brand name under which the drug is sold. A term referring to any drug marketed
under its chemical name without advertising.
generic name
Distinguished to consumers as being produced and marketed exclusively by a
particular manufacturer. Multiple names may exist for a particular generic name.
Is capitalized.
trade (brand) name
Give an example of when the use of each name (generic or trade) might be
appropriate?
When large numbers of drug names are unfamiliar or not standardized, as is common
with many trade names, it creates the potential for confusion. For this reason, many
professionals advocate for the universal use of generic names. For instance, use of
trade names can result in "double medication" - with potentially disastrous results.
Because patients frequently see more than one healthcare provider, a patient may
receive prescriptions for the same drug by two (or more) prescribers. If those
prescriptions are written for different brand names, then the two bottles the patient
receives will be labeled with different names. Consequently, although both bottles
contain the same drug, the patient may not know it. If both medications are taken as
prescribed, excessive dosing will result. However, if generic names had been used,
,both labels would bear the same name, thereby informing the patient that both bottles
contain the same drug.
Can a generic drug always be substituted for a brand name drug?
Because all equivalent products - generic or brand name - contain the same dose of the
same drug, the only real concern with generic formulations is their rate and extent of
absorption. For a few drugs, a slight increase in absorption can result in toxicity, and a
slight decrease can result in therapeutic failure.
Hence, with agents for which a small difference in absorption can be important,
decisions to stay with a brand name should be based on the evidence and made on a
case-by-case basis.
Generics and branded drugs most often differ in their non-active ingredients
As a nurse or health care professional, what information might you want to
research about drugs that you are taking? What resources may be helpful?
A number of drug references have been compiled expressly for nurses. All address
topics of special interest to nurses, including information on administration, assessment,
evaluation, and patient education. Representative nursing drug references include
Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook and Mosby's Drug Guide for Nurses, both published
annually.
Schedule I Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have no currently accepted medical use in the United
States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential
for abuse.
Some examples are heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis),
peyote, methaqualone, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("Ecstasy").
Schedule II/IIN Controlled Substances (2/2N)
Substances in this schedule have a high potential for abuse, which may lead to severe
psychological or physical dependence.
Examples of Schedule ____ narcotics include: hydromorphone (Dilaudid®), methadone
(Dolophine®), meperidine (Demerol®), oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet®), and
fentanyl (Sublimaze®, Duragesic®). Other Schedule II narcotics include: morphine,
opium, codeine, and hydrocodone.
Examples of Schedule ____ stimulants include: amphetamine (Dexedrine®, Adderall®),
methamphetamine (Desoxyn®), and methylphenidate (Ritalin®).
Other Schedule ___ substances include: amobarbital, glutethimide, and pentobarbital.
Schedule III/IIIN Controlled Substances (3/3N)
Substances in this schedule have a potential for abuse less than substances in
Schedules I or II and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high
psychological dependence.
Examples of Schedule ____ narcotics include: products containing not more than 90
milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with Codeine®), and buprenorphine
,(Suboxone®).
Examples of Schedule ______ non-narcotics include: benzphetamine (Didrex®),
phendimetrazine, ketamine, and anabolic steroids such as Depo®-Testosterone
Schedule IV Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances in
Schedule III.
Examples of Schedule ____ substances include: alprazolam (Xanax®), carisoprodol
(Soma®), clonazepam (Klonopin®), clorazepate (Tranxene®), diazepam (Valium®),
lorazepam (Ativan®), midazolam (Versed®), temazepam (Restoril®), and triazolam
(Halcion®).
Schedule V Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances listed
in Schedule IV and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of
certain narcotics.
Examples of Schedule ___ substances include: cough preparations containing not more
than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams (Robitussin AC®,
Phenergan with Codeine®), and ezogabine.
What is the "placebo effect"?
The component of a drug response that is caused by psychological factors and not by
the biochemical or physiologic properties of the drug. Although it is impossible to assess
with precision the contribution that psychological factors make to the overall response to
any particular drug, it is widely believed that, with practically all medications, some
fraction of the total response results from a placebo effect. Although placebo effects are
responses to the inactive placebo, the presence of a placebo response does not imply
that a patient's original pathology was "all in the head."
Is the placebo effect bad or good? How can an RN use this information?
Not all placebo responses are beneficial; placebo responses can also be negative. If a
patient believes that a medication is going to be effective, then placebo responses are
likely to help promote recovery. Conversely, if a patient is convinced that a particular
medication is ineffective or perhaps even harmful, then placebo effects are likely to
detract from his or her progress.
Because the placebo effect depends on the patient's attitude toward the medicine,
fostering a positive attitude may help promote beneficial effects. In this regard, it is
desirable that all members of the healthcare team present the patient an optimistic (but
realistic) assessment of the effects that therapy is likely to produce.
How common are medication errors?
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), every year medication errors injure at least
1.5 million Americans, and kill an estimated 7000. The financial costs are staggering:
among hospitalized patients alone, treatment of drug-related injuries costs about $3.5
billion a year.
Which person works in an inpatient setting, whose actions are not checked by
anyone else?
, Because the nurse is the last person who can catch mistakes made by others, and
because no one is there to catch mistakes the nurse might make, the nurse bears a
heavy responsibility for ensuring patient safety.
Who is the "last line of defense" related to drug errors, according to the text?
the nurse
What is the most common drug error that leads to a client death?
Of the human factors that can cause errors, performance deficits (eg, administering a
drug IV instead of IM) are the most common (29.8%)
What is a "read-back" system for verbal orders?
Verbal orders given to pharmacists or medical staff are transcribed and then read back
to the prescriber
Parental Routes of Medication Administration
Intravenous (IV)
Intramuscular (IM)
Subcutaneous (subQ)
Enteral Routes of Medication Administration
Oral (PO)
Intravenous (IV)
Barriers to Absorption: None (absorption is bypassed)
Absorption Pattern: Instantaneous
Advantages: Rapid, onset, and hence ideal for emergencies. Precise control over drug
labels. Permits use of large fluid volumes. Permits use of irritant drugs.
Disadvantages: Irreversible. Expensive. Inconvenient. Difficult to do, and hence poorly
suited for self-administration. Risk of fluid overload, infection, and embolism. Drug must
be water-soluble.
Intramuscular (IM)
Barriers to Absorption: Capillary wall (easy to pass)
Absorption Pattern: Rapid with water-soluble drugs. Slow with poorly soluble drugs.
Advantages: Permits use of poorly soluble drugs. Permits use of depot preparations.
Disadvantages: Possible discomfort. Inconvenient. Potential for injury.
Subcutaneous (subQ)
Barriers to Absorption: Same as IM
Absorption Pattern: Same as IM
Advantages: Same as IM
Disadvantages: Same as IM
Oral (PO)
