Pharmacology Assignment: Pain Relievers, HMG-coA Reductase Inhibitors, Autonomic Nervous System Drug

Question: 1

Choose one pain reliever you have learnt in this module to answer this question.  
 
(a) Justify two possible side effects of this drug based on its mechanism of action. (6 marks)  
 
(b) Devise one patient scenario (e.g. patient with kidney impairment or food interaction) to explain how the elimination of this drug can be affected and the consequences of the affected drug elimination. (6 marks)
 
(c) Compare the mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics of this drug with another drug from a different pain reliever pharmacological class by stating their similarities and differences with explanation. (7 marks)
 
Question 2 
 
Choose ONE drug from the HMG-coA reductase inhibitors pharmacological class to answer this question.  
 
(a) State the therapeutic effect of this drug, and explain how the effect is brought about based on its mechanism of action. (4 marks)  
 
Report format

 

Write your project report in between 1000 – 2000 words. Any relevant references or citations in the report should be included.   
 
Follow the referencing methods shown below: 
 
• Book 
 
Authors  Last  name,  First  initial.  (Year  published).  Title  of  book.  Edition  if  applicable. Publisher, Page(s). 
 
• Journal Article
 
Last name, First initial. (Year published). Article title. Journal, Volume (Issue), Page(s).

(b) Comment if this drug should avoid to be taken with grapefruit juice. Explain. (3 marks) 
 
(c) Explain how patients benefit from taking this drug with fibrates. (3 marks) 
 
Question 3

Choose a drug that binds to a receptor at the autonomic nervous system to answer the following questions.  
 
a) State ONE medical condition treated by the drug and explain how the drug acts on the receptor to treat the medical condition. (5 marks) 
 
b) Explain whether the drug is selective towards the receptor, and whether the drug-receptor binding is reversible. Using the drug and its receptor as an example, comment on the impact of selectivity and reversibility of drug-receptor binding. (10 marks)  
 
c) State TWO different routes of administration of the drug. Compare and contrast the pharmacokinetics of these two administration routes, with relation to the drug absorption and distribution to its target site of action. (10 marks) 
  
Question 4 

Choose ONE drug from tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

 
With reference to this drug’s binding affinity for the receptor(s) and/or transporter(s) as indicated in Table 1:

 

(a) Explain how this drug treats depression (3 marks)

(b) State one possible side effect of the drug and explain the cause. (3 marks)