CMN 548 MODULE 5 PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
EXAM LATEST 2025-2026 UPDATE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Which benzodiazepine produces more intense withdrawal symptoms that
it's counterparts? - Answer-Alprazolam (Xanax)
Which SSRI produces more intense withdrawal symptoms that it's
counterparts? - Answer-Paroxetine (Paxil)
Medications with this pharmacokinetic property have delayed
discontinuation symptoms. - Answer-Long elimination half life
- Fluoxetine (Prozac, SSRI) has a long elimination half life of its active
metabolite
What is autoinhibition? - Answer-Dose dependent inhibition of a
medication's own metabolism
- Paroxetine (Paxil, SSRI) inhibits P450 CYP 2D6 which is what
metabolizes the medication
, Bupropion (Wellbutrin, atypical antidepressant) inhibits this enzyme
system and paroxetine (Paxil, SSRI) is metabolized by it. - Answer-CYP
2D6
- Discontinuing bupropion would result in a rapid increase in
metabolism of Paroxetine and drop in plasma concentrations
- Paroxetine would need to be increased
What effect have sustained release alprazolam, paroxetine, and
venlafaxine had on withdrawal reactions? - Answer-None.
- They do not reduce severity of withdrawal because the long half life is
due to delayed absorption not prolonged elimination
- Only benefit is the in reduced dosing frequency
Withdrawal symptoms present after hours or days of dose reduction or
discontinuation and resolve within... - Answer-A few weeks
- Persistent symptoms would indicate something besides withdrawal
- Psychotic and mood symptoms DO NOT usually reappear abruptly
after discontinuing long term treatment
Signal detection is more challenging for compounds developed for
psychiatric disorders because.... - Answer-The effect sizes are not large
What is expectation bias? - Answer-A situation where either the staff
conducting the trial or subjects in the trial or both groups expect that the
test drug will confer a benefit or that it is unlikely to do so.
, What effect does expectation bias play on drug trials? - Answer-Staff
may have an unconscious bias toward rating more beneficial effects than
are actually present.
- A larger trial may subsequently prove that there is no difference from
the placebo.
Explain the regression to mean phenomenon in drug trials. - Answer-As
many trials enroll patients during an exacerbation of their illness, the
phenomenon would tend to mean that future measurements would be
less extreme even if the subject is on a placebo.
What are the two basic mechanisms for studying receptors? - Answer--
Measure the binding of a ligand (radioactively traced)
- Measure the physiologic consequences of agonist binding (and effects
of the antagonist)
How do didactic depictions of neurotransmitter signaling differ from
real life? - Answer-- There are hundreds to thousands of axons
connecting to one dendrite
- A single transmitter can evoke multiple pathways
Pharmacokinetic drug interactions are... - Answer-the effects of drugs
on the PLASMA concentrations of each other
Pharmacokinetic concepts describe and predict... - Answer-- the time
course of drug concentration in different parts of the body
- onset, duration, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
EXAM LATEST 2025-2026 UPDATE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Which benzodiazepine produces more intense withdrawal symptoms that
it's counterparts? - Answer-Alprazolam (Xanax)
Which SSRI produces more intense withdrawal symptoms that it's
counterparts? - Answer-Paroxetine (Paxil)
Medications with this pharmacokinetic property have delayed
discontinuation symptoms. - Answer-Long elimination half life
- Fluoxetine (Prozac, SSRI) has a long elimination half life of its active
metabolite
What is autoinhibition? - Answer-Dose dependent inhibition of a
medication's own metabolism
- Paroxetine (Paxil, SSRI) inhibits P450 CYP 2D6 which is what
metabolizes the medication
, Bupropion (Wellbutrin, atypical antidepressant) inhibits this enzyme
system and paroxetine (Paxil, SSRI) is metabolized by it. - Answer-CYP
2D6
- Discontinuing bupropion would result in a rapid increase in
metabolism of Paroxetine and drop in plasma concentrations
- Paroxetine would need to be increased
What effect have sustained release alprazolam, paroxetine, and
venlafaxine had on withdrawal reactions? - Answer-None.
- They do not reduce severity of withdrawal because the long half life is
due to delayed absorption not prolonged elimination
- Only benefit is the in reduced dosing frequency
Withdrawal symptoms present after hours or days of dose reduction or
discontinuation and resolve within... - Answer-A few weeks
- Persistent symptoms would indicate something besides withdrawal
- Psychotic and mood symptoms DO NOT usually reappear abruptly
after discontinuing long term treatment
Signal detection is more challenging for compounds developed for
psychiatric disorders because.... - Answer-The effect sizes are not large
What is expectation bias? - Answer-A situation where either the staff
conducting the trial or subjects in the trial or both groups expect that the
test drug will confer a benefit or that it is unlikely to do so.
, What effect does expectation bias play on drug trials? - Answer-Staff
may have an unconscious bias toward rating more beneficial effects than
are actually present.
- A larger trial may subsequently prove that there is no difference from
the placebo.
Explain the regression to mean phenomenon in drug trials. - Answer-As
many trials enroll patients during an exacerbation of their illness, the
phenomenon would tend to mean that future measurements would be
less extreme even if the subject is on a placebo.
What are the two basic mechanisms for studying receptors? - Answer--
Measure the binding of a ligand (radioactively traced)
- Measure the physiologic consequences of agonist binding (and effects
of the antagonist)
How do didactic depictions of neurotransmitter signaling differ from
real life? - Answer-- There are hundreds to thousands of axons
connecting to one dendrite
- A single transmitter can evoke multiple pathways
Pharmacokinetic drug interactions are... - Answer-the effects of drugs
on the PLASMA concentrations of each other
Pharmacokinetic concepts describe and predict... - Answer-- the time
course of drug concentration in different parts of the body
- onset, duration, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
