Pharmacy Pharmacology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which class of drugs works by blocking H2 receptors to reduce gastric acid secretion?
- Proton pump inhibitors
- H2 blockers (Correct answer)
- Antacids
- Anticholinergics
Correct answer: H2 blockers
H2 blockers (e.g., ranitidine, famotidine) competitively block histamine H2 receptors on parietal cells, reducing acid production.
Question 2: Metformin's primary mechanism of action for treating type 2 diabetes is to:
- Stimulate insulin secretion from beta cells
- Decrease hepatic glucose production (Correct answer)
- Block intestinal glucose absorption
- Increase renal glucose excretion
Correct answer: Decrease hepatic glucose production
Metformin primarily decreases hepatic gluconeogenesis and improves insulin sensitivity; it does not stimulate insulin secretion.
Question 3: Which term describes the study of how the body affects a drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)?
- Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacogenomics
- Pharmacokinetics (Correct answer)
- Pharmacovigilance
Correct answer: Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics (PK) describes how the body processes a drug — ADME: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion.
Question 4: A drug with a narrow therapeutic index requires close monitoring because:
- It is only available as a brand-name product
- The difference between effective and toxic doses is small (Correct answer)
- It is metabolized very slowly
- It has no known side effects
Correct answer: The difference between effective and toxic doses is small
Narrow therapeutic index drugs (e.g., warfarin, digoxin, lithium) have minimal margin between therapeutic and toxic plasma levels.
Question 5: Beta-1 selective adrenergic blockers are preferred in asthmatic patients because they:
- Dilate the bronchioles
- Avoid bronchoconstriction caused by beta-2 blockade (Correct answer)
- Increase heart rate
- Block alpha receptors
Correct answer: Avoid bronchoconstriction caused by beta-2 blockade
Cardioselective (beta-1 selective) blockers like metoprolol minimize bronchospasm risk by avoiding beta-2 receptor blockade in the lungs.
Question 6: Which drug class inhibits the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase to lower cholesterol?
- Fibrates
- Bile acid sequestrants
- Statins (Correct answer)
- Niacin
Correct answer: Statins
Statins (e.g., atorvastatin, simvastatin) inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting step in hepatic cholesterol synthesis.
Pharmacy Pharmacology 2
Which class of drugs works by blocking H2 receptors to reduce gastric acid secretion?