NR565 ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY MIDTERM – CHAMBERLAIN | PRACTICE QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS | COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
What is used to calculate a patient's overdose risk? (An actual calculation won't be done
on the exam) - correct answer ✔✔
Which schedule drugs can APRNs prescribe? - correct answer ✔✔DEA license will allow for
prescribing of Schedules 2-5. There can be restrictions as noted in collaborative agreement. May
be facility/state dependent.
Who determines and regulates prescriptive authority? - correct answer ✔✔Determines: Also
known as independent prescribing. APRNS can prescribe without limitation and is state
dependent. Includes "legend" (prescription) and controlled drugs, health/medical services,
DME, etc.
Regulates: State board of nursing, regulated by health professional board. Federal government
controls drug regulations but has no control over prescriptive authority.
How does limited prescriptive authority impact patients within the healthcare system? - correct
answer ✔✔Limited prescriptive authority creates numerous barriers to quality, affordable, and
accessible patient care. For example, restrictions on the distance of the APRN or PA from the
physician providing supervision or collaboration may prevent outreach to area of greatest need.
An increase in patient waits.
What are the key responsibilities of prescribing? - correct answer ✔✔The ability to prescribe
medications is both a privilege and a burden. Have a documented provider-patient relationship,
do not prescribe medications to family or friends or yourself, Document a thorough history and
physical examination, include any discussions you have with the patient about risk factors, side
effects, or therapy options, have documented plan regarding drug monitoring or titration, if you
consult additional providers not that you did so. Use the references provided in the following
boxes to assist in safely and rationally choosing one medication over another.
Be sensible, accept responsibility, do not fear it, know constraints and limitations, always learn
and update, keep Rx pads in safe place, confirm allergies, verify medication list with patient, do
,not let insurance dictate quantity of Rx, Charting is key (particularly with off label use), Provide
use and rationale.
What should be used to make prescribing decisions? - correct answer ✔✔The best way to keep
your patients (and yourself) safe is to be prudent and deliberate in your decision-making
process. Cost, availability, current practice guidelines, medication interactions including
interactions with food, side effects, need for monitoring, how drug is metabolized (hepatic or
renal), special populations (pregnancy, nursing, older adults)
Be familiar with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes of older adults and how that
would translate to baseline information needed to prescribe - correct answer
✔✔Pharmacokinetic is the study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in
the body. The ability of older adults to metabolize drugs is commonly decreased. Drug dosages
may need to be reduced to prevent drug toxicity.
Beer's criteria - correct answer ✔✔Guidelines for prescribing medications to patients 65 &
older. Drugs on the list should be avoided in patients over 65 expect when the benefits
significantly outweigh the risks. The Beers Criteria includes five lists that describe certain
medications and situations and include: potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) us in older
adults, PIM use in older adults due to medication-disease or medication-syndrome interactions
that may exacerbate the disease or syndrome, medications to be used cautiously in older
adults, clinically significant drug interactions that should be avoided in older adults, medications
to be avoided or dosage decreased in the presence of impaired kidney function in older adults.
Why is Beer's criteria important? - correct answer ✔✔It provides a list of medications that are
potentially harmful in elderly. List that identifies drugs with a high likelihood of causing adverse
effects in older adults. Beers Criteria are recommendations; ultimately prescribers must
determine whether a medication is appropriate for use or not. These guidelines are not
intended to limit the use of medications or apply to all older adults. Safe and judicious
prescribing is crucial in the older adult to optimize pharmacotherapy.
,Impacts/outcomes of polypharmacy - correct answer ✔✔Polypharmacy greatly increases the
risk for interactions. Drug interactions with mild side effects to life-threatening consequences.
Elderly is at a higher risk of polypharmacy due to taking five or more medications daily.
CYP450 - correct answer ✔✔metabolic pathway, involved in metabolism of drugs in the liver.
Metabolism can be inhibited or induced by drugs and once this happens drug-drug interaction
can occur.
What are the CYP450 inhibitors? - correct answer ✔✔Liver enzymes. It's not just a single
molecular entity but rather a group of 12 closely related enzyme families.
Examples: Valproate, Isoniazid, Sulfonamides, Amiodarone, Chloramphenicol, Ketoconazole,
Grapefruit juice, Quinidine
What do they do? Slows down metabolism of medications. Inhibitors are medications that
inhibit activity of one or more of the CYP450 enzymes. Medications that inhibit an enzyme can
potentially slow that enzymes activity required for metabolism of other medications, thereby
increasing the levels of medications dependent on that particular enzyme for
biotransformation. This inhibition prolongs the pharmacalogical effects, which may result in
toxicity. Factors that affect the inhibition include the dose and the capacity to bind to the
enzyme
What do they cause if not used correctly (CYP450)?(aka:What would the patient experience?) -
correct answer ✔✔Toxicity. drug build up
Examples of CYP450 inducers? - correct answer ✔✔barbiturates, St Johns wart, carbamazepine,
rifampin, alcohol, phenytoin, griseofulvin, phenobarbital, sulfonylureas
What do CYP450 inducers do? - correct answer ✔✔Increase medication metabolism.
Inducers are xenobiotics that elevate the CYP450 enzyme activity by increasing the enzyme
synthesis. This action leads to additional sites available for biotransformation. The increased
, number of sites enhances the medication metabolism, decreasing the concentration of the
"parent drug" while increasing the metabolite production. The half-life of the inducing drug may
cause a delay before enzyme activity increases. A decease in concentration of a medication
metabolized by CYP2C9 (responsible for 10% of drug metabolism) usually occurs within 24 hours
after the administration of the medication.
What happens when someone has a poor metabolism phenotype? - correct answer ✔✔Slow or
increase absorption, slow the metabolism, keep drug in body longer and increase toxicity. Poor
metabolisms affect a high or low therapeutic index: increase drug toxicity, Ex: Plavix: Clots and
increase platelets.
What does the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulate when it comes to medications? -
correct answer ✔✔Regulates what the pharmacies can sell, requires special alerts and
management guidelines, for drugs that cause serious adverse effects. Ensuring pharmaceutical
companies thoroughly test new products for efficacy and safety with an aim towards minimizing
side effects. They approve or disapprove drugs
Reasons for medication non-adherence - correct answer ✔✔1. patient feels not needed
2. affordability
3. side effects
4. forgetfulness
5. lack of info
6. lack of disease concern
7. poor social support
8. low reaction satisfaction
9. poor physician relationship
What are black box warnings? - correct answer ✔✔Concise summaries of adverse effects of
concern in a box surrounded by a thick black line.
ANSWERS | COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
What is used to calculate a patient's overdose risk? (An actual calculation won't be done
on the exam) - correct answer ✔✔
Which schedule drugs can APRNs prescribe? - correct answer ✔✔DEA license will allow for
prescribing of Schedules 2-5. There can be restrictions as noted in collaborative agreement. May
be facility/state dependent.
Who determines and regulates prescriptive authority? - correct answer ✔✔Determines: Also
known as independent prescribing. APRNS can prescribe without limitation and is state
dependent. Includes "legend" (prescription) and controlled drugs, health/medical services,
DME, etc.
Regulates: State board of nursing, regulated by health professional board. Federal government
controls drug regulations but has no control over prescriptive authority.
How does limited prescriptive authority impact patients within the healthcare system? - correct
answer ✔✔Limited prescriptive authority creates numerous barriers to quality, affordable, and
accessible patient care. For example, restrictions on the distance of the APRN or PA from the
physician providing supervision or collaboration may prevent outreach to area of greatest need.
An increase in patient waits.
What are the key responsibilities of prescribing? - correct answer ✔✔The ability to prescribe
medications is both a privilege and a burden. Have a documented provider-patient relationship,
do not prescribe medications to family or friends or yourself, Document a thorough history and
physical examination, include any discussions you have with the patient about risk factors, side
effects, or therapy options, have documented plan regarding drug monitoring or titration, if you
consult additional providers not that you did so. Use the references provided in the following
boxes to assist in safely and rationally choosing one medication over another.
Be sensible, accept responsibility, do not fear it, know constraints and limitations, always learn
and update, keep Rx pads in safe place, confirm allergies, verify medication list with patient, do
,not let insurance dictate quantity of Rx, Charting is key (particularly with off label use), Provide
use and rationale.
What should be used to make prescribing decisions? - correct answer ✔✔The best way to keep
your patients (and yourself) safe is to be prudent and deliberate in your decision-making
process. Cost, availability, current practice guidelines, medication interactions including
interactions with food, side effects, need for monitoring, how drug is metabolized (hepatic or
renal), special populations (pregnancy, nursing, older adults)
Be familiar with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes of older adults and how that
would translate to baseline information needed to prescribe - correct answer
✔✔Pharmacokinetic is the study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in
the body. The ability of older adults to metabolize drugs is commonly decreased. Drug dosages
may need to be reduced to prevent drug toxicity.
Beer's criteria - correct answer ✔✔Guidelines for prescribing medications to patients 65 &
older. Drugs on the list should be avoided in patients over 65 expect when the benefits
significantly outweigh the risks. The Beers Criteria includes five lists that describe certain
medications and situations and include: potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) us in older
adults, PIM use in older adults due to medication-disease or medication-syndrome interactions
that may exacerbate the disease or syndrome, medications to be used cautiously in older
adults, clinically significant drug interactions that should be avoided in older adults, medications
to be avoided or dosage decreased in the presence of impaired kidney function in older adults.
Why is Beer's criteria important? - correct answer ✔✔It provides a list of medications that are
potentially harmful in elderly. List that identifies drugs with a high likelihood of causing adverse
effects in older adults. Beers Criteria are recommendations; ultimately prescribers must
determine whether a medication is appropriate for use or not. These guidelines are not
intended to limit the use of medications or apply to all older adults. Safe and judicious
prescribing is crucial in the older adult to optimize pharmacotherapy.
,Impacts/outcomes of polypharmacy - correct answer ✔✔Polypharmacy greatly increases the
risk for interactions. Drug interactions with mild side effects to life-threatening consequences.
Elderly is at a higher risk of polypharmacy due to taking five or more medications daily.
CYP450 - correct answer ✔✔metabolic pathway, involved in metabolism of drugs in the liver.
Metabolism can be inhibited or induced by drugs and once this happens drug-drug interaction
can occur.
What are the CYP450 inhibitors? - correct answer ✔✔Liver enzymes. It's not just a single
molecular entity but rather a group of 12 closely related enzyme families.
Examples: Valproate, Isoniazid, Sulfonamides, Amiodarone, Chloramphenicol, Ketoconazole,
Grapefruit juice, Quinidine
What do they do? Slows down metabolism of medications. Inhibitors are medications that
inhibit activity of one or more of the CYP450 enzymes. Medications that inhibit an enzyme can
potentially slow that enzymes activity required for metabolism of other medications, thereby
increasing the levels of medications dependent on that particular enzyme for
biotransformation. This inhibition prolongs the pharmacalogical effects, which may result in
toxicity. Factors that affect the inhibition include the dose and the capacity to bind to the
enzyme
What do they cause if not used correctly (CYP450)?(aka:What would the patient experience?) -
correct answer ✔✔Toxicity. drug build up
Examples of CYP450 inducers? - correct answer ✔✔barbiturates, St Johns wart, carbamazepine,
rifampin, alcohol, phenytoin, griseofulvin, phenobarbital, sulfonylureas
What do CYP450 inducers do? - correct answer ✔✔Increase medication metabolism.
Inducers are xenobiotics that elevate the CYP450 enzyme activity by increasing the enzyme
synthesis. This action leads to additional sites available for biotransformation. The increased
, number of sites enhances the medication metabolism, decreasing the concentration of the
"parent drug" while increasing the metabolite production. The half-life of the inducing drug may
cause a delay before enzyme activity increases. A decease in concentration of a medication
metabolized by CYP2C9 (responsible for 10% of drug metabolism) usually occurs within 24 hours
after the administration of the medication.
What happens when someone has a poor metabolism phenotype? - correct answer ✔✔Slow or
increase absorption, slow the metabolism, keep drug in body longer and increase toxicity. Poor
metabolisms affect a high or low therapeutic index: increase drug toxicity, Ex: Plavix: Clots and
increase platelets.
What does the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulate when it comes to medications? -
correct answer ✔✔Regulates what the pharmacies can sell, requires special alerts and
management guidelines, for drugs that cause serious adverse effects. Ensuring pharmaceutical
companies thoroughly test new products for efficacy and safety with an aim towards minimizing
side effects. They approve or disapprove drugs
Reasons for medication non-adherence - correct answer ✔✔1. patient feels not needed
2. affordability
3. side effects
4. forgetfulness
5. lack of info
6. lack of disease concern
7. poor social support
8. low reaction satisfaction
9. poor physician relationship
What are black box warnings? - correct answer ✔✔Concise summaries of adverse effects of
concern in a box surrounded by a thick black line.
