pharm GRM week #10 (brief)

Week 10-Chapter 13

1. What are seizures, convulsions and epilepsy?
a. seizures: brief episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the nerve cells of the brain
b. convulsions: involuntary spasmodic contractions of any or all voluntary muscles throughout the body, including skeletal and facial muscles
c. epilepsy: chronic, recurrent pattern of seizures

2. What is accurate diagnosis of seizure disorder based upon?
a. electroencephalogram (EEG)

3. What is an AED?
a. antiepileptic drugs

4. What other types of illnesses are AEDs used for besides seizures?
a. psychiatric disorders, migraine headaches, and neuropathic pain syndromes

5. Under what circumstances should an AED be abruptly stopped?
a. a severe adverse effect occurs

6. Under what circumstances would a patient with a seizure disorder be maintained on a subtherapeutic drug level?
a. decreases the risk for medication-induced adverse effects and interactions

7. What are the three pharmacologic effects of AEDs?
a. make it difficult for a nerve to be excited or reduce the nerves response to incoming electrical or chemical stimulation
b. limit the spread of seizure discharge from its origin
c. decrease the speed of nerve impulse conduction within a given neuron

8. At what time of day are AEDs typically given?
a. >?

9. Why should carbamazepine not be given with grapefruit?
a. >?

10. Why does IV phenytoin have to be given with normal saline?
a. avoid local venous irritation

11. Why does phenytoin IV have to be given slowly?
a. possible cardiovascular/respiratory collapse

12. What is the most common adverse effect of AEDs?
a. sedation, confusion, CNS depression

Week 10-Chapter 14

13. What does PD result from?
a. imbalance of dopamine and acetylcholine

14. What do dopamine and acetylcholine regulate?
a. proper regulation of posture, muscle tone, and voluntary movement

15. What are the classic PD symptoms?
a. slowness of movement (bradykinesia), rigidity, tremor, and danger of falling

16. What is the primary role of MAOs?
a. breakdown of catecholamines

17. What does selegiline do?
a. decrease amount of levodopa needed

18. What does levodopa do?
a. precursor for dopamine synthesis by the brain

19. How does amantadine (Symmetrel) exert its antiparkinsonian effect?
a. elicits release of dopamine from nerve endings

20. In PD, what are anticholinergic drugs useful in?
a. treat the muscle remors and muscle rigidity

21. What is the relationship of pyridoxine and levodopa?
a. B6: promotes levodopa breakdown and possibly reverse effects

22. Explain the concept of a drug holiday.
a. obtain more therapeutic effectiveness; allow patient to respond to lower doses of drug