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High Risk Drugs PDF

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This document is a comprehensive summary of high-risk medicines commonly encountered in clinical practice. It covers key monitoring parameters, signs of toxicity, important drug interactions, and essential counselling points for each drug. Ideal for pharmacy, nursing, and medical students preparing for exams, OSCEs, or placements. Includes detailed notes on drugs such as amiodarone, digoxin, lithium, antiepileptics, methotrexate, and more.

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DRUG NAME: WARNING SIGNS:

AMIODARONE
- Signs and symptoms of hypo- or hypert
- Corneal microdeposits may develop - r
with vision. Drivers may be dazzled by
NOTES: MONITORING: night. If vision impaired or if optic neur
- Long half-life = - Thyroid function neuropathy occurs, STOP AMIODARON
50 days - Liver function - Progressive shortness of breath or coug
- Loading doses - Serum potassium (pneumonitis, pulmonary toxicity)
may be - Chest X-ray - Clinical signs of liver disease e.g. jaundi
required - ECG (w/ IV use) - Neurological effects of tremor, periphe
e.g. develop numbness and tingling in h
INTERACTIONS:
- Phototoxic skin reactions e.g. burning s
- Long half-life = potential for drug interactions to occur for several
followed by erythema, and persistent s
weeks to months after treatment has stopped
discoloration on light-exposed areas
- ↑ plasma concentration = coumarins, dabigatran, digoxin,
flecainide, phenindione, phenytoin
- ↑ risk of ventricular arrhythmias = amisulpride, atometine, ACTIONS REQUIRED:
chloroquine, citalopram, disopyramide, escitalopram, - Advise patient = shield skin from direct
haloperidol, hydroxychloroquine, lovefloxacin, lithium, and for several months after stopping t
mizolastine, mefloquine, moxifloxacin, phenothiazines, pimozide, or to use a wide-spectrum sunscreen
quinine, sulpiride, telithromycin, tolterodine, tricyclics - Warn drivers = may be dazzled by head
- ↑ risk of bradycardia, AV bloc and myocardial depression = beta- night
blockers, diltiazem, verapamil - Warn patients = clinical effects may occ
- ↑ risk of myopathy = simvastatin months after stopping the medicine

,DRUG NAME: WARNING SIGNS:

DIGOXIN
- Cardiac = arrhythmias, heart block
- Neurological = weakness, lethargy, dizz
headache, mental confusion, psychosis
NOTES: MONITORING: - Gastrointestinal = anorexia, nausea, vo
- Therapeutic Range = 0.8 – - Serum electrolytes (K+, Mg2+, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
2mcg/L Ca2+) = hypokalemia, - Visual = blurred and/or yellow vision
- Loading doses may be required hypomagnesaemia, hypercalcemia can
potentiate toxicity
- Renal function ACTIONS REQUIRED:
- Heart rate (>60bpm) - Advise patient = report imme
INTERACTIONS: to a doctor if any warning sign
- ↑ plasma concentration =
alprazolamamiodarone, ciclosporin, diltiazem, - Dosage forms have different b
itraconazole, lercanidipine, macrolides, availabilities (check SPC)
mirabegron, nicardipine, nifedipine, quinine, - IV = 100%
spironolactone and verapamil
- ↓ plasma concentration = St. John’s wort - Tablet = 50-90%
- Hypokalaemia (↑ risk of cardiac toxicity & digoxin - Elixir = 75%
toxicity) when concomitant administration with =
acetazolamide, amphotericin, loop diuretics or MAJOR ROUTE OF ELIMINATION:
thiazides and related diuretics - Renal excretion
- Drugs that impair renal function affect plasma - Hepatic metabolism to active
digoxin conc e.g. NSAIDs, ACEIs
metabolites

, WARNING SIGNS:
DRUG NAME:
- Toxicity [SNATCHED]:

PHENYTOIN - Slurred speech
- Nystagmus (uncontrolled repet
movements)
MONITORING:
NOTES: - Ataxia
- MOA = Binds to neuronal Na+ channels in their
- Serum conc
inactive state; prolongs inactivity - ECG + BP with IV use - Confusion
- Therapeutic range: 10 – 20mg/L (or 40-80 - Liver function - Hyperglycemia
micromol/litre) - FBC - Diplopia (blurred vision)
- Non-linear relationship between dose and plasma - Serum folate - Skin disorders e.g., rash, toxic epid
drug concentrations: small changes in dose/missed necrolysis
dose/change in drug absorption = large change in
- Vit D
plasma drug conc. - Blood disorders e.g., fever, sore th
ulcers, unexplained bruising or ble
INTERACTIONS: (leucopenia, aplastic anemia, meg
- ↑ plasma concentration = amiodarone, chloramphenicol, cimetidine,
disulfiram, diltiazem, fluconazole, fluoxetine, miconazole, topiramate,
anemia)
trimethoprim (also increase antifolate effect), metronidazole, clarithromycin, - Suicidal thoughts
telithromycin (avoid during and 2 weeks after phenytoin) - Low vitamin D levels e.g., rickets,
- ↓ plasma concentration = rifamycin's, St John’s wort, theophylline, ACTIONS REQUIRED:
itraconazole, ciclosporin - Advise patient = report immediate
- ↑ metabolism of corticosteroids, oestrogens, progestogens and coumarins
doctor if any warning signs appear
(possibility of ↓ anticoag effect but ↑ also reported)
- Anticonvulsant effect possibly antagonized by antipsychotics, mefloquine, SSRIs, - Caution when dispensing = brand-
tricyclics, and tricyclic-related antidepressants preparations.
- ↓ plasma conc. of aripiprazole, itraconazole, oestrogens and progestogens - Dose conversion: 100mg phenytoi
(reduced contraceptive effect), theophylline and tricyclics è 92mg phenytoin base

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Publisher: Unknown ISBN: 9780857113696 Edition: 80

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Uploaded on
May 11, 2025
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