Dosage
What is the dose for Aspirin?
324mg PO (81mg x 4)
This term describes how quickly a drug reaches the bloodstream and becomes available to act.
Absorption
A 24-year-old patient with a history of asthma is wheezing, tachypneic, and unable to speak in full sentences after exposure to cold air. You decide to administer a beta-2 agonist. What drug would you give?
Albuterol
This effect of beta-2 agonists results in improved airflow by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle.
Bronchodilation
This describes the amount of drug that reaches the bloodstream unchanged after administration.
Bioavailability
What is the adult dose for Albuterol?
2.5 to 5mg max of 3 doses
This process involves the liver breaking down a drug into metabolites.
Metabolism
A 58-year-old patient has crushing substernal chest pain radiating to the left arm. Skin is cool and diaphoretic, BP is 152/88, and there are no signs of hypotension. You decide to give a vasodilator for symptom relief. What drug would you give?
Nitroglycerin
This effect of epinephrine in anaphylaxis helps reverse hypotension and airway swelling through vasoconstriction and bronchodilation.
Alpha and beta stimulation
This concept describes the difference between the minimum drug concentration needed for a therapeutic effect and the level at which toxicity occurs.
Therapeutic index
What is the adult dose for Cardizem?
0.25mg/kg over 2 min
This is the removal of a drug from the body, primarily via the kidneys.
Excretion
A 19-year-old patient was stung by a bee and now has hives, facial swelling, wheezing, and a blood pressure of 78/40. You recognize anaphylaxis and decide to administer a medication intramuscularly. What drug would you give?
Epinephrine 1:1
After administration of a nitrate for chest pain, the patient becomes lightheaded when sitting up and their blood pressure drops.
Hypotension
A medication is given repeatedly in small doses and begins to build up in the body, eventually producing a stronger effect than expected. This is due to this concept.
Drug accumulation
What is the dose of Fentanyl?
50 to 100mcg, (1mcg/kg)
This is the time required for the plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by 50%.
Half-life
A 62-year-old known diabetic is confused, diaphoretic, and combative. Blood glucose is 28 mg/dL and the patient cannot safely swallow. You prepare an IV hypertonic glucose solution. What drug would you give?
Dextrose
A patient given a medication for severe allergic reaction begins to show rapid improvement in airway swelling and blood pressure.
Bronchodilation and vasoconstriction reversal of shock
This describes the time it takes for a drug to reach its maximum concentration in the bloodstream after administration.
Peak time
What is the dose of Labetalol?
10mg over 1 to 2 min max of 150mg
This describes the movement of a drug from the bloodstream into body tissues where it can act.
Distribution
A 41-year-old is found unresponsive after ingesting an unknown amount of prescription medication. Respirations are 8/min, blood pressure is 92/58, and oxygen saturation is 84% despite supplemental oxygen. The patient has marked CNS depression but no focal neurological deficits. You suspect a sedative-hypnotic overdose and administer a specific benzodiazepine reversal agent. What drug would you give?
Flumazenil
A patient receiving opioid pain medication becomes increasingly difficult to arouse and their breathing slows significantly.
Central nervous system and respiratory depression
This term describes the initial dose of a drug that is larger than maintenance doses in order to reach therapeutic levels quickly.
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