Pharmacology and Toxicology

Analgesic Drugs

• Metabolic Acidosis: Decrease in blood pH caused by increased acid production, decreased acid excretion, or loss of bicarbonate.
• Respiratory Alkalosis: Elevated blood pH due to excessive loss of CO2 from the lungs.
• Hepatic Encephalopathy: Neuropsychiatric syndrome caused by liver dysfunction and accumulation of neurotoxic substances.
• Prothrombin: Plasma protein produced in the liver with the aid of vitamin K; it's converted to thrombin during blood coagulation.
• Reye’s Syndrome: Serious condition affecting children with viral infections who take aspirin, causing liver and brain swelling.
• Hemoperfusion: Technique to remove toxic substances from the bloodstream by passing blood through an adsorbent material.
• Acetaminophen Toxicity:
  • Acute ingestion >140 mg/kg in children or >6 g in adults can be hepatotoxic.
  • Severe hepatotoxicity can occur at doses above 15 g.
• Metoclopramide: Antiemetic drug used to manage vomiting before administration of antidotes and activated charcoal.
• Chronic Alcohol Consumption: Increases activity of cytochrome P-450 enzymes (CYP2E1), elevating risk of acetaminophen toxicity due to enhanced conversion of acetaminophen to toxic metabolites.
• Vitamin K: Utilized in treating hypoprothrombinemia by assisting in prothrombin synthesis.
• N-acetylcysteine: Precursor of cysteine necessary for synthesizing glutathione, used in acetaminophen overdose treatment.
• Glutathione: Antioxidant in the liver that detoxifies acetaminophen metabolites through conjugation.
• Sodium Bicarbonate: Treats metabolic acidosis and alkalinizes urine in salicylate poisoning.

Chemotherapeutic Drugs

• Activated Charcoal: Not recommended for isoniazid poisoning due to risk of rapid onset of coma and seizures.
• Cinchonism: Condition characterized by tinnitus, headache, nausea, dizziness, and visual disturbances associated with quinine use.
• Hemolytic Anemia: Condition involving rapid destruction of red blood cells surpassing their production rate.
• Amantadine: Medication with antiviral and antiparkinsonian properties.
• Methylene Blue: Used for treating methemoglobinemia.
• Dantrolene: Muscle relaxant for neuroleptic malignant syndrome, alleviating muscle rigidity and hyperthermia.
• Leucovorin: Also known as folinic acid; mitigates the effects of drugs that inhibit folate metabolism.
• Amodiaquine and Mefloquine: Antimalarial drugs; Amodiaquine can cause fatal neutropenia, while Mefloquine may induce dizziness and vertigo.
• Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole: Components of co-trimoxazole, with trimethoprim inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase.
• Lethal Dose of Chloroquine: 30-50 mg/kg for adults; minimum toxic dose of quinine is 3-4 g.
• Isoniazid Toxicity: Severe toxicity can occur at doses of 80-150 mg/kg.
• Sulfhemoglobinemia: Occurs when dapsone metabolites sulfate hemoglobin; irreversible condition with no antidote.
• Pyridoxine: Prevents peripheral neuropathy, a common side effect of isoniazid.
• Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase: Enzyme that protects red blood cells from damage and destruction.
• Stellate Ganglion Block: Medical procedure to block sympathetic nerves at C6 or C7 vertebrae using a local anesthetic.
• Chloroquine Overdose: Severe overdose typically results in hypokalemia, not hyperkalemia.