USMLE/COMLEX Step 1 Pharmacology One Liners
Half-life (T1/2) Correct Answer: Time it takes for amount of drug to fall to half of its value; this is a constant in first order kinetics (majority of drugs)
Volume of distribution (VD) Correct Answer: Relates the amount of drug in the body to th...
USMLE/COMLEX Step 1 Pharmacology One Liners
Half-life (T1/2) Correct Answer: Time it takes for amount of drug to fall to half of its value; this is a
constant in first order kinetics (majority of drugs)
Volume of distribution (VD) Correct Answer: Relates the amount of drug in the body to the plasma
concentration
Cp Correct Answer: Plasma concentration of a drug at a given time
Clearance (CL) Correct Answer: The ratio of the rate of elimination of a drug to its plasma concentration
First pass effect Correct Answer: The elimination of drug that occurs before it reaches the systemic
circulation
Bioavailability (F) Correct Answer: The fraction of administered dose of a drug that reaches systemic
circulation
Steady state Correct Answer: When the rate of drug input equals the rate of drug elimination
Phase I Correct Answer: This step of metabolism makes a drug more hydrophilic and hence augments
elimination
Oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis Correct Answer: Different steps of Phase I
Barbiturates, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and rifampin Correct Answer: Inducers of Cytochrome P450
(CYP450)
Cimetidine, ketoconazole, erythromycin, isoniazid and grapefruit Correct Answer: Inhibitors of CYP450
Glucuronate, acetic acid, and glutathione sulfate Correct Answer: Products of Phase II conjugation
First order kinetics Correct Answer: Type of kinetics when a constant percentage of substrate is
metabolized per unit time
Zero order kinetics Correct Answer: Drug elimination with a constant amount metabolized regardless of
drug concentration
Loading dose (Cp*(Vd/F)) Correct Answer: Target plasma concentration times (volume of distribution
divided by bioavailability)
Maintenance dose (Cp*(CL/F)) Correct Answer: Concentration in the plasma times (clearance divided by
bioavailability)
Affinity Correct Answer: Strength of interaction between drug and its receptor
Specificity Correct Answer: Selectivity of a drug for its receptor
,Potency Correct Answer: Amount of drug necessary to elicit a biologic effect; refers to the drug's
strength
Efficacy Correct Answer: Maximum response achieveable from a drug
Full agonist Correct Answer: Ability of a drug to produce 100% of the maximum response regardless of
the potency
Partial agonist Correct Answer: Ability to produce less than 100% of the response
Competitive antagonist Correct Answer: Ability to bind reversibly to the same site as the drug and
without activating the effector system
Noncompetitive antagonist Correct Answer: Class of drugs with ability to decrease the maximal
response to an agonist
Thyroid and steroid hormones Correct Answer: A hormone whose mechanism of action (MOA) utilizes
intracellular receptors
Insulin Correct Answer: A hormone whose MOA utilizes transmembrane receptors
Benzodiazepines and calcium channel blockers Correct Answer: Class of drugs whose MOA utilizes
ligand gated ion channels
ED50 Correct Answer: Median effective dose required for an effect in 50% of the population
TD50 Correct Answer: Median toxic dose required for a toxic effect in 50% of the population
LD50 Correct Answer: Dose which is lethal to 50% of the population
Therapeutic index Correct Answer: Window between therapeutic effect and toxic effect
High therapeutic index Correct Answer: Term for a high margin of safety
Low therapeutic index Correct Answer: Term for a narrow margin of safety
Dimercaprol, EDTA Correct Answer: Antidote used for lead poisoning
Nitrites Correct Answer: Antidote used for cyanide poisoning
Physostigmine Correct Answer: Antidote used for anticholinergic poisoning
Atropine, pralidoxime (2-PAM) Correct Answer: Antidote used for organophosphate/anticholinesterase
poisoning
Deferoxamine Correct Answer: Antidote used for iron salt toxicity
,N-acetylcysteine (Mucomyst) Correct Answer: Antidote used for acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity
Dimercaprol Correct Answer: Antidote for arsenic, mercury, lead, and gold poisoning
Penicillamine Correct Answer: Antidote used in poisonings: copper (Wilson's disease), lead, mercury,
and arsenic
Protamine Correct Answer: Antidote used for heparin overdose
Vitamin K and Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) Correct Answer: Antidote used for warfarin toxicity
Ethanol or fomepizole Correct Answer: Antidote used for methanol and ethylene glycol
Naloxone (IV), naltrexone (PO) Correct Answer: Antidote used for opioid toxicity
Flumazenil Correct Answer: Antidote used for benzodiazepine toxicity
Sodium bicarbonate Correct Answer: Antidote used for tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)
100% O2 and hyperbaric O2 Correct Answer: Antidote used for carbon monoxide poisoning
Digibind (also need to d/c digoxin, normalize K+, and lidocaine if pt. Is arrhythmic) Correct Answer:
Antidote used for digitalis toxicity
Esmolol Correct Answer: Antidote used for beta agonist toxicity (eg. Metaproterenol)
Leucovorin Correct Answer: Antidote for methotrexate toxicity
Glucagon Correct Answer: Antidote for beta-blockers and hypoglycemia
Magnesium sulfate Correct Answer: Antidote useful for some drug induced Torsade de pointes
sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate) Correct Answer: Antidote for hyperkalemia
Alkalinize urine, dialysis Correct Answer: Antidote for salicylate intoxication
Log-kill hypothesis Correct Answer: Constant proportion of cell population killed rather than a constant
number
Pulse therapy Correct Answer: Treatment with cancer chemotherapy at high doses every 3-4 weeks, too
toxic to be used continuously
Rescue therapy Correct Answer: Toxic effect of anticancer drug can be lessened by rescue agents
Allopurinol Correct Answer: Drug used concurrently with toxic anticancer agents to reduce renal
precipitation of urates
, 5-flouracil (5-FU) Correct Answer: Pyrimidine analog that causes "Thymine-less death" given with
leucovorin rescue
Prednisone Correct Answer: Drug used in cancer therapy causes Cushing-like symptoms
SEVERE myelosuppression Correct Answer: Side effect of Mitomycin
Alkylating agent Correct Answer: MOA of cisplatin
Nephro and ototoxicity Correct Answer: Common toxicities of cisplatin
6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) Correct Answer: Analog of hypoxanthine, needs HGPRTase for activation
Allopurinol Correct Answer: Interaction with this drug requires dose reduction of 6-MP
Dexrazoxane Correct Answer: May protect against doxorubicin toxicity by scavenging free radicals
Bleomycin Correct Answer: Blows DNA (breaks DNA strands), limiting SE is pulmonary fibrosis
Testicular cancer Correct Answer: Bleomycin+vinblastine+etoposide+cisplatin produce almost a 100%
response when all agents are used for this neoplasm
Adriamycin (doxorubicin) +bleomycin, vinblastine +dacarbazine Correct Answer: ABVD regimen used for
HD, but appears less likely to cause sterility and secondary malignancies than MOPP
CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) plus rituximab Correct Answer:
Regimen used for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil) and tamoxifen if ER+ Correct Answer:
Regimen used for breast cancer
Mechlorethamine Correct Answer: Alkylating agent, vesicant that causes tissue damage with
extravasation
Cyclophosphamide Correct Answer: Anticancer drug also used in RA, produces acrolein in urine that
leads to hemorrhagic cystitis
Hydration and mercaptoethanesulfonate (MESNA) Correct Answer: Prevention of cyclophosphamide
induced hemorrhagic cystitis
Vincristine Correct Answer: Microtubule inhibitor that causes peripheral neuropathy, foot drop (eg.
ataxia), and "pins and needles" sensation
Paclitaxel (taxol) Correct Answer: Interact with microtubules (but unlike vinca which prevent
disassembly of tubules), it stabilizes tubulin and cells remain frozen in metaphase
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