pharmacology GRM week #4 (brief)

Week 4-Chapter 29

1. Which part of the CNS controls the pituitary?
a. hypothalamus

2. Know the functions of the hormones of the pituitary glands.
Anterior Pituitary:
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH)
-Supports physical and emotional stress and starvation, redistributes body nutrients
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
-Stimulates egg and sperm growth/ production
Growth Hormone (GH)
-Promotes skeletal and muscular growth
Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
-Promotes secretions of sex specific hormones
Prolactin (PH)
-Stimulates mammary glands for lactation
Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
-Increases production and secretion of thyroid hormones

Posterior Pituitary:
Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)
-Increases water retention and concentration of urine
Oxytocin
-Stimulates ejection of milk and contraction of uterine smooth muscle


Week4-Chapter 30

3. What is required in the diet in order to produce thyroid hormones?
a. iodide

4. What triggers the release of thyroid hormones?
a. thyroid stimulating hormone or thyrotropin

5. What is the most significant adverse effect of thyroid medications?
a. cardiac dysrhythmia with the risk for life-threatening or fatal irregularities caused by overdose

6. What might the effect of thyroid medications be on anticoagulants?
a. it may increase the activity of oral anticoagulants

7. What effect do thyroid medications have on digitalis levels?
a. increases potassium levels

8. When a patient is on thyroid medications and antidiabetic agents, how might this affect their antidiabetic medication dosing?
a. may need to increase dosing

Week 4-Chapter 32

9. What two hormones does the adrenal medulla secrete?
a. norepinepherine and epinepherine

10. What are the other names for epinephrine and norepinephrine?
a. adrenaline and noreadrenaline

11. What are the two types of hormones secreted from the adrenal cortex (corticosteroids)?
a. glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids

12. What affect does aldosterone have on serum sodium?
a. it maintains sodium homeostasis by reabsorbing it

13. What affect does aldosterone have on serum potassium?
a. in affect, serum potassium is decreased

14. How does ACTH affect the adrenal cortex?
a. stimulates the production of corticosteroids

15. What is the disorder in which there is an oversecretion of adrenocortical hormones?
a. Cushing’s syndrome: redistribution of fat from the arms and legs to face, shoulders, trunk; retention of water and loss of potassium

16. What is the disorder in which there is an undersecretion of adrenocortical hormones?
a. Addison’s disease: low blood sodium and glucose levels, high potassium levels, dehydration and weight loss

17. Which is the only corticosteroid drug with exclusive mineralocorticoid activity?
a. fludrocortisone

18. What is the main effect of cortisol?
a. inhibition of inflammatory and immune responses

19. In what specific ways do glucocorticoid inhibit or help control the inflammatory response?
a. stabilize cell membranes of inflammatory cells called lysosomes, decreasing capillary permeability to inflammatory cells, and decrease the migration of white blood cells into already inflamed areas

20. What is the effect of glucocorticoids on protein metabolism?
a. loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness

21. What is the effect of glucocorticoids on glucose?
a. weight gain

22. What is the effect of glucocorticoids on fat distribution?
a. redistributes fat to face, shoulders, and trunk

23. Why is it best to give exogenous glucocorticoids early in the morning?
a. leads to the least amount of adrenal suppression; from 0600-0900

24. How does the nurse minimize the patient’s gastric upset when giving oral glucocorticoids?
a. administer with milk, food, or non-systemic antacids

25. What should the patient be advised to avoid when taking corticosteroids?
a. avoid alcohol, NSAIDS, and aspirin

26. Why should abrupt withdrawal of glucocorticoid hormones be avoided?
a. could lead to life threatening Addisonian crisis marked by fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and hypotension

27. What are the instructions that should be given to a patient using nasally instilled glucocoricosteroids?
a. rinse mouth with luke warm water

28. Why should the patient rinse his mouth after using an orally inhaled glucocorticoid?
a. prevent fungal overgrowth

29. What effect does long-term glucocorticoid therapy have on post-surgical healing?
a. increased healing time