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pharma facts

Uterine Relaxant Drugs

Leave a Comment / Gynecology /

👶🏻 Preterm labor occurs when labor begins too early. If this happens before the 37th week of gestation, the fetal organs, especially the lungs, might not be fully developed.⁠
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💊 In these cases, labor can be suppressed with uterine relaxants that relax the uterine muscle and slow down contractions for up to 48 hours. It gives the fetus a few more days in the uterus as a corticosteroid is given to speed up the development of a preterm infant’s lungs. Steroids help the lungs mature and may promote the production of surfactant, a substance that prevents the collapse of alveoli (small sacs in the lungs where the air is exchanged). ⁠
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💊 Uterine relaxants are also called tocolytics (toco = childbirth, lytic = terminate) and include several different types of drugs. ⁠
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Antibiotic Renal Dosing

Leave a Comment / Infectious Diseases, Nephrology /
Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections. When considering what dose to prescribe to a patient, it is important to evaluate the patient’s renal function as many antibiotics are excreted by the kidney.⁠ ⁠ It is recommended to study the list of antibiotics that do NOT require renal dose adjustments rather than a list of the ones that do (as it can get very long and overwhelming). ⁠

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Diuretic Classes

Leave a Comment / Cardiology /
There are 5 main types of diuretic classes with different mechanisms of action, site of action, and side effect profiles. ⁠ ⁠ 1) Loop diuretics work on the loop of Henle (as the name implies)⁠ 2) Osmotic diuretic work on the glomerulus⁠ 3) Thiazides work on distal convoluted tubule⁠ 4) Carbonic anhydrase work on the proximal tubule⁠ 5) Potassium-sparing diuretics (aldosterone antagonists and sodium channel blockers) work on the distal convoluted tubule⁠ and collecting ducts

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ketamine mnemonic

Ketamine Properties

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ketamine mnemonic
📖 Ketamine is a medication primarily used for starting and maintaining anesthesia. It induces dissociative anesthesia, a trance-like state providing pain relief, sedation, and amnesia.⁠ ⁠ ⭐ The distinguishing features of ketamine anesthesia are preserved breathing and airway reflexes, stimulated heart function with increased blood pressure, and moderate bronchodilator.⁠

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Antibiotics that Cover MRSA

Leave a Comment / Infectious Diseases /
⭐ Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection caused by Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria that has an oxacillin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of greater than or equal to 4 micrograms/mL. ⁠ ⁠ ⭐ MRSA infection is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections and is commonly associated with significant morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost burden. ⁠ ⁠ ⭐ MRSA infections can be further divided into hospital-associated (HA-MRSA) infections and community-associated (CA-MRSA) infections. They differ not only in respect to their clinical features and molecular biology but also to their antibiotic susceptibility and treatment⁠

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Antibiotics that cover anaerobes

Leave a Comment / Infectious Diseases /
Mnemonic_Antibiotics that cover anaerobes
Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that do not live or grow when oxygen is present. In humans, these bacteria are most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract. ⁠ ⁠ 🔺 They play a role in conditions such as appendicitis, diverticulitis, and perforation of the bowel so it is important to make sure we have adequate anaerobic coverage when empirically treating these infections. ⁠ ⁠ 💊 There are several antibiotics that cover anaerobes in addition to other bacteria. ⁠

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Antibiotics that cover Pseudomonas

Leave a Comment / Infectious Diseases /
Pseudomonas is a type of bacteria (bug) that is found commonly in soil and in water. Of the many different types of Pseudomonas, the one that most often causes infections in humans is called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause infections in the blood, lungs (pneumonia), or other parts of the body after surgery.⁠ ⁠ 🔺 Pseudomonas aeruginosa treatment has become increasingly difficult as bacteria become more resistant to the available antibiotics on the market. If they develop resistance to several types of antibiotics, these germs can become multidrug-resistant.⁠

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Antituberculosis Agents

Leave a Comment / Infectious Diseases /
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (aerobic, non-spore forming bacillus). Active TB is transmitted by aerosolized droplets (sneezing, coughing, talking, etc.) and is highly contagious. ⁠ ⁠ Active disease treatment is divided into two treatment phases, initial and continuation. To avoid treatment failure due to resistance, the preferred initial treatment consists of a 4 drug regimen of rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (RIPE). ⁠ ⁠ These 4 drugs are taken for about 8 weeks during the initiation phase. In the continuation phase, the regimen is narrowed based on susceptibilities.

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Beta-1 Cardioselective Beta-Blockers

Leave a Comment / Cardiology, Top 200 Drugs /
❤️ Cardioselective beta-blockers work on the beta-1 receptors. Beta-1 receptors primarily are found in cardiac tissues whereas beta-2 receptors are located in the lungs (remember: 1 heart, two lungs). ⁠ ⁠ ❤️ Cardioselective beta-blockers exert their effect by binding to the beta-1 receptor sites selectively and inhibiting the action of epinephrine and norepinephrine on these sites. They are often preferred in patients with respiratory disease as they are less likely to cause constriction of airways or peripheral vasculature.⁠

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Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist Effects

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👉🏻 Cholinergic muscarinic agonists are drugs that bind to and activate muscarinic cholinergic receptors and increase the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. They are most commonly used when it is desirable to increase smooth muscle tone, especially in the GI tract, urinary bladder, and eye. They may also be used to reduce heart rate. ⁠ ⁠ 👉🏻 Direct cholinergic agonists work by resisting acetylcholinesterase, thus preventing its breakdown. Drugs in this class include bethanechol, carbachol, and methacholine, and pilocarpine.⁠ ⁠ 👉🏻 Indirect cholinergic agonists work by inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase enzyme preventing the degradation of acetylcholine. Drugs in this class include neostigmine, physostigmine, galantamine, donepezil, and rivastigmine. ⁠

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CYP450 Enzymes, Major Inhibitors of

Leave a Comment / Miscellaneous /
The CYP450 enzymes are essential for the production of numerous agents including cholesterol and steroids. Additionally, these enzymes are necessary for the detoxification of foreign chemicals and the metabolism of drugs.⁠ ⁠ Drugs that are CYP450 inhibitors block the metabolic activity of one or more of the CYP450 enzymes. The extent to which an inhibitor affects the metabolism of a drug depends upon factors such as the dose and the ability of the inhibitor to bind to the enzyme.⁠

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Drug Names #1

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There are a plethora of drug facts to memorize for school, but it is definitely helpful when their names hint at what they are used for, their mechanism of action, frequency, or duration. ⁠ 💊 Lasix: short for ‘last six hours’ because of the 6-hour duration of action. Try not to administer this diuretic to patients after 4 pm to decrease nighttime awakenings.⁠ ⁠ 💊 Macrobid: this formulation of Macrodantin is given BID (twice a day). Macrodantin is recommended to be given 4 times a day. Ensure you are using the right formulation for the right frequency. ⁠ ⁠ 💊 Protonix: Protonix belongs to a class of proton pump inhibitors. Its brand name, Protonix, tells you that it is used to ‘nix protons’ or acid and is used to treat GERD and acid-reflux disorders. ⁠ ⁠ 💊 Lopressor: brand name for metoprolol, a beta-blocker that is used for high blood pressure. The brand name, lo-pressor, tells you that it is used to help ‘lower pressures’. ⁠ ⁠ 💊 Flonase: brand name for fluticasone nasal spray. Its name, Flonase, sounds an awful lot like ‘flow nasal’ which tells you that it is used to treat allergies that commonly cause nasal congestion. ⁠ 💊 Ambien: AM is the sig for morning and Bien means good in Spanish. It is a sleeping aid medication that translates into ‘good morning’. ⁠

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