Question 1: Charlie is a 65-year-old male who has been diagnosed with hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Doxazosin has been chosen to treat his hypertension because it:

Increases peripheral vasoconstriction

Decreases detrusor muscle contractility

Lowers supine blood pressure more than standing pressure

Relaxes smooth muscle in the bladder neck

Question 2: Which of the following adverse effects are less likely in a beta1-selective blocker?

Dysrhythmias

Impaired insulin release

Reflex orthostatic changes

Decreased triglycerides and cholesterol

Question 3: Beta blockers have favorable effects on survival and disease progression in heart failure. Treatment should be initiated when the:

Symptoms are severe

Patient has not responded to other therapies

Patient has concurrent hypertension

Left ventricular dysfunction is diagnosed

Question 4: You are treating a patient with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The patient's wife mentions difficulty with transportation to the clinic. Which medication is the best choice?

Donepezil

Tacrine

Doxazosin

Verapamil

Question 5: Antonia is a 3-year-old child who has a history of status epilepticus. Along with her routine antiseizure medication, she should also have a home prescription for_________ to be used for an episode of status epilepticus.

IV phenobarbital

Rectal diazepam (Diastat)

IV phenytoin (Dilantin)

Oral carbamazepine (Tegretol)

Question 6: Dwayne has recently started on carbamazepine to treat seizures. He comes to see you and you note that while his carbamazepine levels had been in the therapeutic range, they are now low. The possible cause for the low carbamazepine levels include:

Dwayne hasn't been taking his carbamazepine because it causes insomnia.

Carbamazepine auto-induces metabolism, leading to lower levels in spite of good compliance.

Dwayne was not originally prescribed the correct amount of carbamazepine.

Carbamazepine is probably not the right antiseizure medication for Dwayne.

Question 7: Kasey fractured his ankle in two places and is asking for medication for his pain. The appropriate first-line medication would be:

Ibuprofen (Advil)

Acetaminophen with hydrocodone (Vicodin)

Oxycodone (Oxycontin)

Oral morphine (Roxanol)

Question 8: Jack, age 8, has attention deficit disorder (ADD) and is prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin). He and his parents should be educated about the side effects of methylphenidate, which are:

Slurred speech and insomnia

Bradycardia and confusion

Dizziness and orthostatic hypotension

Insomnia and decreased appetite

Question 9: An appropriate first-line drug to try for mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder would be:

Alprazolam (Xanax)

Diazepam (Valium)

Buspirone (Buspar)

Amitriptyline (Elavil)

Question 10: David is a 34-year-old patient who is starting on paroxetine (Paxil) for depression. David's education regarding his medication would include:

Paroxetine may cause intermittent diarrhea.

He may experience sexual dysfunction beginning a month after he starts therapy.

He may have constipation and he should increase fluids and fiber.

Paroxetine has a long half-life so he may occasionally skip a dose.

Question 11: An appropriate drug for the treatment of depression with anxiety would be:

Alprazolam (Xanax)

Escitalopram (Lexapro)

Buspirone (Buspar)

Amitriptyline (Elavil)

Question 12: The longer-term Xanax patient comes in and states they need a higher dose of the medication. They deny any additional, new, or accelerating triggers of their anxiety. What is the probable reason?

They have become tolerant of the medication, which is characterized by the need for higher and higher doses.

They are a drug seeker.

They are suicidal.

They only need additional counseling on lifestyle modification.

Question 13: A first-line drug for abortive therapy in simple migraine is:

Sumatriptan (Imitrex)

Naproxen (Aleve)

Butorphanol nasal spray (Stadol NS)

Butalbital and acetaminophen (Fioricet)

Question 14: Xi, a 54-year-old female, has a history of migraines that do not respond well to OTC migraine medication. She is asking to try Maxalt (rizatriptan) because it works well for her friend. Appropriate decision making would be:

Prescribe the Maxalt, but only give her four tablets with no refills to monitor the use.

Prescribe Maxalt and arrange to have her observed in the clinic or urgent care with the first dose.

Explain that rizatriptan is not used for postmenopausal migraines and recommend Fiorinal (aspirin and butalbital).

Prescribe sumatriptan (Imitrex) with the explanation that it is the most effective triptan.

Question 15: Kelly is a 14-year-old patient who presents to the clinic with a classic migraine. She says she is having a headache two to three times a month. The initial plan would be:

Prescribe NSAIDs as abortive therapy and have her keep a headache diary to identify her triggers.

Prescribe zolmitriptan (Zomig) as abortive therapy and recommend relaxation therapy to reduce her stress.

Prescribe acetaminophen with codeine (Tylenol #3) for her to take at the first onset of her migraine.

Prescribe sumatriptan (Imitrex) nasal spray and arrange for her to receive the first dose in the clinic.

Question 16: James has been diagnosed with cluster headaches. Appropriate acute therapy would be:

Butalbital and aspirin (Fiorinal)

Meperidine IM (Demerol)

Oxygen 100% for 15 to 30 minutes

Indomethacin (Indocin)

Question 17: If interventions to resolve the cause of pain (e.g., rest, ice, compression, and elevation) are insufficient, pain medications are given based on the severity of pain. Drugs are given in which order of use?

NSAIDs, opiates, corticosteroids

Low-dose opiates, salicylates, increased dose of opiates

Opiates, non-opiates, increased dose of non-opiate

Non-opiate, increased dose of non-opiate, opiate

Question 18: Chemical dependency assessment is integral to the initial assessment of chronic pain. Which of the following raises a "red flag" about potential chemical dependency?

Use of more than one drug to treat the pain

Multiple times when prescriptions are lost with requests to refill

Preferences for treatments that include alternative medicines

Presence of a family member who has abused drugs

Question 19: The Pain Management Contract is appropriate for:

Patients with cancer who are taking morphine

Patients with chronic pain who will require long-term use of opiates

Patients who have a complex drug regimen

Patients who see multiple providers for pain control

Question 20: Which of the following statements is true about age and pain?

Use of drugs that depend heavily on the renal system for excretion may require dosage adjustments in very young children.

Among the NSAIDs, indomethacin is the preferred drug because of lower adverse effects profiles than other NSAIDs.

Older adults who have dementia probably do not experience much pain due to loss of pain receptors in the brain.

Acetaminophen is especially useful in both children and adults because it has no effect on platelets and has fewer adverse effects than NSAIDs.