Radiography Medications and Pharmacology

The Radiographer’s Role

• Radiographers should have general knowledge about medications.
• It’s essential to understand common drugs and their uses, but comprehensive pharmacology is not essential.

Medication Nomenclature and Information Resources

• Medications and drugs can be used interchangeably.
• Generic name refers to a drug's chemical family.
• Trade or proprietary name is given to a drug by the manufacturer.
• Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) and Clinical Pharmacology are useful resources for medication information.

Medication Properties

• Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates a drug.
• It's affected by factors such as age, sex, weight, physical condition, and immune status.
• Pharmacodynamics investigates how drugs affect normal bodily functions.

Pharmacodynamics

• Agonists are drugs that promote specific actions and desired outcomes.
• Antagonists block agonists from acting by attaching to the receptor site.

Medication Effects

• Therapeutic effect: The intended purpose of the medication.
• Side effect: Unintended effects related to the drug's chemical properties.
• Toxic effect: Poisonous and potentially lethal effects due to overdose, impaired metabolism, or drug sensitivity.
• Idiosyncratic effect: Unusual or exaggerated responses to a drug that are unique to individuals.
• Allergic response: Characteristic reaction triggered by prior sensitization.
• Synergistic effect: Combined effects of drugs differ from individual responses due to interactions.

Frequently Used Medications

• Medications for treating allergic reactions: Antihistamines like diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl), and epinephrine (adrenaline) for severe reactions.
• Antimicrobials: Antiseptics (Betadine), antibiotics, and other medications to combat infections.
• Anticonvulsants: Used to control or prevent seizures (e.g., diazepam (Valium)).
• Antiarrhythmics: Treat chronic cardiac arrhythmias.
• Analgesics: Relieve pain without losing consciousness (e.g., ibuprofen, aspirin, controlled narcotics).
• Sedatives and tranquilizers: Quiet and induce sleep, tranquilizers reduce anxiety (e.g., lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium)).
• Antagonists: Counteract the effects of other drugs (e.g., flumazenil (Romazicon), naloxone (Narcan)).
• Local anesthetics: Eliminate sensation in a specific area (e.g., lidocaine (Xylocaine)).
• Paralytic agents: Skeletal muscle relaxants used for procedures like endotracheal intubation (e.g., succinylcholine).
• Hypoglycemic agents: Control blood glucose levels, especially for diabetes mellitus (e.g., insulin, metformin (Glucophage), sulfonylureas, tolbutamide (Orinase), chlorpropamide (Diabinase), rosiglitazone (Avandia)).
• Antihypertensives: Reduce blood pressure (e.g., Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta blockers).

General Precautions

• Be aware of potential allergic reactions to medications.
• Know the location of emergency equipment and code routines within your facility.

The Radiographer’s Role

• While deep knowledge of pharmacology is not essential for imaging professionals, a basic understanding of common drugs and their uses is crucial.

Medication Nomenclature and Information Resources

• Medications and drugs refer to the same thing.
• Generic names indicate the chemical family of a drug.
• Proprietary or trade names are assigned by manufacturers.
• The Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) and Clinical Pharmacology are valuable resources for medication information.

Medication Properties

• Pharmacokinetics explores how the body processes drugs, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.
• Pharmacodynamics studies the effects of drugs on the body's normal physiological functions.

Pharmacokinetics

• Factors affecting drug response include age, physical condition, sex, weight, and immune status.

Pharmacodynamics

• Agonists produce specific actions and promote desired results.
• Antagonists attach to receptors, preventing agonists from acting.

Medication Effects

• Therapeutic effect: The intended purpose of the medication, usually achieved by drug binding to receptors on cells. Examples include pain relief, blood pressure control, and reduced inflammation.
• Side effect: An effect different from the desired one, related to the drug's chemical and therapeutic characteristics. Examples include nausea, headache, insomnia, and dry mouth.
• Toxic effect: Poisonous and potentially lethal effects caused by inadequate excretion, impaired metabolism, overdose, or drug sensitivity. Examples include respiratory depression, kidney failure.
• Idiosyncratic effect: An overreaction, underreaction, or unusual reaction to a drug due to unique individual factors. Examples include a sedative causing anxiety, an appetite suppressant increasing appetite, or a mild stimulant causing extreme excitation.
• Allergic response: A characteristic reaction to an allergen due to previous sensitization. Examples include hives, asthma attacks, bronchospasm.
• Synergistic effect: Combined drug responses that differ from their individual effects, caused by chemical or physiological drug interactions. Example: A combination of hypertension medication and a diuretic causing weakness and fainting.

Frequently Used Medications

• Medications used to treat allergic reactions include antihistamines like diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl) and epinephrine (adrenaline) for severe cases.
• Antimicrobials include antiseptics like Betadine and antibiotics.
• Anticonvulsants control or prevent seizures, such as diazepam (Valium).
• Antiarrhythmics treat chronic cardiac arrhythmias.
• Analgesics relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness, including controlled narcotics and over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and aspirin.
• Sedatives and tranquilizers exert a quieting effect, often inducing sleep. Tranquilizers reduce anxiety more effectively than sedatives. Examples include lorazepam (Ativan) and diazepam (Valium).
• Antagonists counteract the effects of other drugs, such as sedatives and analgesics. Examples include flumazenil (Romazicon) and naloxone (Narcan).
• Local anesthetics eliminate sensation in a specific area before painful procedures, such as lidocaine (Xylocaine).
• Paralytic agents are skeletal muscle relaxants, used for procedures like endotracheal airway insertion or to manage combative patients.
• Hypoglycemic agents control blood glucose levels, primarily for diabetes mellitus. Examples include insulin for type 1 diabetes and metformin (Glucophage), sulfonylureas (Amaryl or Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), chlorpropamide (Diabinase), or rosiglitazone (Avandia) for type 2 diabetes.
• Antihypertensives reduce blood pressure, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta blockers.

General Precautions

• Be aware of potential allergic reactions to any medication.
• Know the location of emergency equipment like the crash cart, resuscitation equipment, oxygen, and the code routine in your facility.

This quiz explores the essential knowledge radiographers should have about medications. It covers drug nomenclature, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, emphasizing the roles of generic and trade names as well as the importance of medication information resources.