Antiarrhythmic Drugs
DRUG CLASSES Class I sodium channel blockers Class II beta (β)-adrenergic blockers Class III potassium channel blockers Class IV calcium channel blockers PHARMACOLOGY IN PRACTICE Mr. Phillip was recently diagnosed…
Upper Respiratory System Drugs
DRUG CLASSES Antihistamine Decongestant Antitussive Expectorant Mucolytic This chapter focuses on drugs used to treat some of the more common disorders affecting the upper respiratory system, particularly allergies and the…
Antibacterial Drugs That Disrupt the Bacterial Cell Wall
DRUG CLASSES Penicillins • Natural penicillins • Aminopenicillins • Extended-spectrum penicillins Cephalosporins • First generation • Second generation • Third generation • Fourth generation Carbapenems PHARMACOLOGY IN PRACTICE Alfredo Garcia…
Making Drug Dosing Safer
Figure 3.1 Drug label for Tagamet. (Courtesy of GlaxoSmithKline.) Mathematical Ability Nurses find that mathematical calculations are performed using various methods to prepare drugs for administration. Sometimes the math is…
Sedatives and Hypnotics
DRUG CLASSES Barbiturates Nonbarbiturates • Benzodiazepines • Nonbenzodiazepines Sedatives and hypnotics are primarily used to treat insomnia. According to the National Sleep Foundation, insomnia affects nearly 70 million people in the United…
Fluids, Electrolytes, and Parenteral Therapy
DRUG CLASSES Electrolytes • Calcium • Magnesium • Potassium • Sodium Alkaline/acidifying agents PHARMACOLOGY IN PRACTICE Alfredo Garcia is a 55-year-old man being seen in the clinic for an upper respiratory infection. During the…
Antibacterial Drugs That Interfere With Protein Synthesis
DRUG CLASSES Tetracycline • Glycylcycline Aminoglycosides • Spectinomycin Macrolides • Ketolide Lincosamides Miscellaneous agents • Oxazolidinone PHARMACOLOGY IN PRACTICE When taking the drug history of Mrs. Moore, an 85-year-old patient…
Cardiotonic and Inotropic Drugs
DRUG CLASSES Cardiotonic Inotropic The cardiotonics are drugs used to increase the efficiency and improve the contraction of the heart muscle, which leads to improved blood flow to all tissues…
Adrenergic Drugs
DRUG CLASSES Sympathomimetics Short-acting beta (β)-2 agonists Long-acting β2 agonists Optic agents (alpha 2 agonists/sympathomimetics) PHARMACOLOGY IN PRACTICE Janna Wong is brought into the clinic by her mother. Yesterday she…
