Insulin Basics
This rapid-acting insulin has an onset of 15–30 minutes and is commonly used before meals.
Answer:
What is insulin lispro?
Rationale:
Rapid-acting insulins like lispro act quickly to control post-prandial glucose spikes and are typically administered right before eating.
This medication is often the first drug used for type 2 diabetes.
Answer:
What is metformin?
Rationale:
Metformin lowers blood glucose by decreasing glucose production in the liver.
This amylin mimetic is used with insulin to improve glucose control.
Answer:
What is pramlintide?
Rationale:
Pramlintide slows gastric emptying and decreases glucagon release after meals.
This medication replaces thyroid hormone in patients with hypothyroidism.
Answer:
What is levothyroxine?
Rationale:
Levothyroxine is a synthetic thyroid hormone used to restore normal hormone levels.
This medication treats growth hormone deficiency.
Answer:
What is somatropin?
Rationale:
Somatropin stimulates growth and protein production in the body.
This insulin has no peak and lasts about 24 hours, making it useful for basal glucose control.
Answer:
What is insulin glargine?
Rationale:
Long-acting insulin provides steady basal insulin coverage, helping maintain glucose control between meals and overnight
These medications help the pancreas release more insulin.
Answer:
What are sulfonylureas?
Rationale:
Sulfonylureas stimulate pancreatic beta cells to release insulin.
This incretin mimetic medication can lower blood glucose and may cause weight loss.
Answer:
What is exenatide?
Rationale:
Incretin mimetics increase insulin secretion and decrease glucagon release.
This medication treats hyperthyroidism by blocking thyroid hormone production.
Answer:
What is methimazole?
Rationale:
Methimazole inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis.
These medications treat diabetes insipidus by mimicking antidiuretic hormone.
Answer:
What are vasopressin or desmopressin?
Rationale:
They increase water reabsorption in the kidneys and reduce urine output.
This intermediate-acting insulin peaks between 4–14 hours.
Answer:
What is NPH insulin?
Rationale:
NPH insulin is intermediate-acting and often used twice daily to provide basal coverage when long-acting insulin is not used
This medication class works by causing the kidneys to remove glucose through urine.
Answer:
What are SGLT-2 inhibitors?
Rationale:
These drugs prevent glucose from being reabsorbed in the kidneys, so glucose is excreted in urine.
This serious complication associated with incretin mimetics involves inflammation of the pancreas.
Answer:
What is pancreatitis?
Rationale:
Pancreatitis is a known adverse effect and requires immediate medical attention.
This treatment destroys thyroid cells using radiation.
Answer:
What is radioactive iodine?
Rationale:
Radioactive iodine reduces thyroid hormone production by damaging thyroid tissue.
This complication of ADH therapy occurs when too much water is retained.
Answer:
What is water intoxication?
Rationale:
Too much ADH activity can cause fluid overload and electrolyte imbalance.
Question:
This is the most common serious complication of insulin therapy.
Answer:
What is hypoglycemia?
Rationale:
Hypoglycemia occurs when insulin lowers blood glucose excessively and may cause confusion, sweating, tremors, or loss of consciousness.
This rare but serious complication can occur with metformin.
Answer:
What is lactic acidosis?
Rationale:
Metformin may cause lactic acidosis, especially in patients with kidney impairment.
Question:
These injectable medications help slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite.
Answer:
What are incretin mimetics?
Rationale:
They mimic GLP-1 hormones, improving glucose control and sometimes leading to weight loss.
This serious side effect of methimazole involves a dangerously low white blood cell count.
Answer:
What is agranulocytosis?
Rationale:
Agranulocytosis can increase infection risk and requires immediate medical attention.
This medication replaces adrenal hormones in Addison’s disease.
Answer:
What is hydrocortisone?
Rationale:
Hydrocortisone replaces deficient adrenal corticosteroids.
This electrolyte imbalance can occur because insulin causes potassium to move into cells.
Answer:
What is hypokalemia?
Rationale:
Insulin shifts potassium intracellularly along with glucose, which can lead to dangerously low potassium levels, especially with high insulin doses.
This medication class slows carbohydrate absorption in the intestines.
Answer:
What are alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?
Rationale:
These drugs delay digestion of carbohydrates and reduce post-meal glucose spikes.
These medications are used when blood glucose is not well controlled with insulin alone.
Answer:
What are non-insulin injectable antidiabetic medications?
Rationale:
These medications provide additional glucose control for patients with diabetes.
These patients should not receive radioactive iodine therapy.
Answer:
Who are pregnant patients?
Rationale:
Radioactive iodine can damage the fetal thyroid gland.
This medication suppresses growth hormone in patients with acromegaly.
What is octreotide?
Rationale:
Octreotide decreases growth hormone secretion when surgery or radiation is not effective.
Unit 10_ Medications Affecting …