Pharmacology 101
What is the term for the time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the body to decrease by 50%?
Half-life
What hormone replacement drug is the primary lifelong treatment for hypothyroidism?
Levothyroxine
What vasopressor is the first-line drug of choice for treating acute anaphylactic shock?
Epinephrine
What short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) inhaler is used as the primary "rescue" medication for acute asthma attacks?
Albuterol
What oral antiviral medication is used to treat influenza and must be started within 48 hours of symptom onset to be effective?
Oseltamivir / Tamiflu
Giving a medication via what parenteral route results in 100% immediate systemic bioavailability?
Intravenous / IV
Name an insulin has an onset of about 15 minutes, allowing patients to inject it just before meals?
Lispro / Aspart / Glulisine
What is the primary clinical indication for administering Atropine intravenously?
Symptomatic bradycardia/bradycardia
What hematopoietic growth factor is administered via injection to stimulate red blood cell production in patients with chronic kidney disease or chemotherapy-induced anemia?
Epoetin alfa / Erythropoietin
What antiviral medication is the gold-standard treatment for Herpes Simplex Virus and Varicella-Zoster infections?
Acyclovir
What phase of the nursing process involves checking for drug allergies and current medications being taken?
Assessment
Corticosteroid therapy should never be stopped abruptly because it can trigger what life-threatening endocrine emergency?
Addisonian crisis / Adrenal crisis
What diuretic can cause profound ototoxicity if pushed intravenously too rapidly?
Furosemide / Lasix
What herbal supplement is widely used to boost immunity or prevent colds, but can potentially trigger autoimmune flare-ups with prolonged use?
Echinacea
What anti-tubercular medication is famously known to turn body fluids (urine, sweat, tears) a harmless red-orange color?
Rifampin
A drug with a narrow therapeutic index requires the nurse to closely monitor what specific levels?
Peak and Trough levels
What emergency medication is administered subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously to treat severe hypoglycemia when the patient is unconscious?
Glucagon
A persistent, dry, hacking cough is a well-known side effect unique to which class of antihypertensives?
ACE inhibitors
What class of medications suppresses gastric acid secretion by inhibiting the hydrogen/potassium ATPase pump?
Proton pump inhibitors / PPIs
What class of antibiotics carries a black box warning for tendon rupture and tendonitis?
Fluoroquinolones
What type of drug receptor binding mimics the body's natural endogenous chemical signaling to produce a response?
Agonist
Name an insulin that has no pronounced peak, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia overnight?
Glargine / Lantus or Detemir / Levemir
What class of antidysrhythmics blunts sympathetic nervous system stimulation on the heart to control rate and rhythm?
Beta-blockers
What specific antidote is administered to treat an acute Acetaminophen overdose?
Acetylcysteine / Mucomyst
What systemic antifungal medication requires pre-medicating with diphenhydramine and acetaminophen due to severe infusion reactions?
Amphotericin B