PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY EXAMPREP
STUDY GUIDE 2026 TESTED QUESTIONS WITH
ACCURATE ANSWERS
◉ Medication. Answer: refers to a substance used to treat an illness
or condition
◉ Drug. Answer: any substance that produces a physiologic effect,
whether therapeutic or not
◉ True or False? Every medication is a drug, but not every drug is a
medication.. Answer: True
◉ Pharmacology. Answer: The scientific study of how various
substances interact with or alter the function of living organisms.
◉ Describe the regulatory measures affecting medications
administered in the prehospital setting. (pp 622-623). Answer: -
Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938), the FDA was given
enforcement authority for rules requiring that new drugs were safe
and pure. The FDA remains the federal agency responsible for
approving new medications and removing unsafe medications from
use.
,-Some medications are used for "off-label" uses (uses not approved
by the FDA). Off-label use is extremely common in health care, but a
physician medical director or paramedic may have an increased risk
of liability for ill-advised off-label use of a medication that results in
a bad outcome for the patient. Medications should be administered
off-label only when they are specifically approved for this use by the
service's medical director or by agency/regional protocol. Ex:
intranasal use of naloxone and the use of IV tranexamic acid for
trauma
Off-Label Use: use for a purpose not approved by the FDA, at doses
different from the recommended doses, or by a route of
administration not approved by the FDA
◉ Describe how drugs are classified. (pp 623, 627). Answer:
Classification of Medications Considered Controlled Substances:
-Schedule 1: high abuse potential; no recognized medical purpose
(heroin, marijuana, LSD)
-Schedule 2: high abuse potential; legitimate medical purpose
(fentanyl, Ritalin, cocaine)
-Schedule 3: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 2 medications
(Vicodin, ketamine)
-Schedule 4: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 3 drugs
(Valium, Ativan)
-Schedule 5: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 4 drugs
(narcotic cough medicines)
, AHA Classification System:
-Class 1: indicates strong evidence supporting the use of the
medication for the condition
-Class 2A: indicates moderate evidence
-Class 2B: indicates weak evidence
-Class 3: indicates the evidence does not support that there is a
benefit and may support that there is a harmful consequence; the
treatment is not helpful and may be harmful
-Class Indeterminate: indicates either that research is beginning on a
treatment or that research is continuing on a treatment (no
recommendations until further research is done)
◉ Outline reliable sources of medication information available to
paramedics. (pp 625-627). Answer: -The United States
Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF) is a great sources of
information regarding the manufacturing details of a particular
medication. On the packaging of the medication, you will notice a
manufacturing lot number and expiration date.
-Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) provides a wealth of reliable,
detailed information about thousands of medications.
-Both the USP-NF and PDR come in electronic versions that can be
helpful to EMS providers.
-Manufacturers provide written materials with every package of
medication distributed. These package inserts include information
STUDY GUIDE 2026 TESTED QUESTIONS WITH
ACCURATE ANSWERS
◉ Medication. Answer: refers to a substance used to treat an illness
or condition
◉ Drug. Answer: any substance that produces a physiologic effect,
whether therapeutic or not
◉ True or False? Every medication is a drug, but not every drug is a
medication.. Answer: True
◉ Pharmacology. Answer: The scientific study of how various
substances interact with or alter the function of living organisms.
◉ Describe the regulatory measures affecting medications
administered in the prehospital setting. (pp 622-623). Answer: -
Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938), the FDA was given
enforcement authority for rules requiring that new drugs were safe
and pure. The FDA remains the federal agency responsible for
approving new medications and removing unsafe medications from
use.
,-Some medications are used for "off-label" uses (uses not approved
by the FDA). Off-label use is extremely common in health care, but a
physician medical director or paramedic may have an increased risk
of liability for ill-advised off-label use of a medication that results in
a bad outcome for the patient. Medications should be administered
off-label only when they are specifically approved for this use by the
service's medical director or by agency/regional protocol. Ex:
intranasal use of naloxone and the use of IV tranexamic acid for
trauma
Off-Label Use: use for a purpose not approved by the FDA, at doses
different from the recommended doses, or by a route of
administration not approved by the FDA
◉ Describe how drugs are classified. (pp 623, 627). Answer:
Classification of Medications Considered Controlled Substances:
-Schedule 1: high abuse potential; no recognized medical purpose
(heroin, marijuana, LSD)
-Schedule 2: high abuse potential; legitimate medical purpose
(fentanyl, Ritalin, cocaine)
-Schedule 3: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 2 medications
(Vicodin, ketamine)
-Schedule 4: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 3 drugs
(Valium, Ativan)
-Schedule 5: lower potential for abuse than Schedule 4 drugs
(narcotic cough medicines)
, AHA Classification System:
-Class 1: indicates strong evidence supporting the use of the
medication for the condition
-Class 2A: indicates moderate evidence
-Class 2B: indicates weak evidence
-Class 3: indicates the evidence does not support that there is a
benefit and may support that there is a harmful consequence; the
treatment is not helpful and may be harmful
-Class Indeterminate: indicates either that research is beginning on a
treatment or that research is continuing on a treatment (no
recommendations until further research is done)
◉ Outline reliable sources of medication information available to
paramedics. (pp 625-627). Answer: -The United States
Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF) is a great sources of
information regarding the manufacturing details of a particular
medication. On the packaging of the medication, you will notice a
manufacturing lot number and expiration date.
-Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) provides a wealth of reliable,
detailed information about thousands of medications.
-Both the USP-NF and PDR come in electronic versions that can be
helpful to EMS providers.
-Manufacturers provide written materials with every package of
medication distributed. These package inserts include information
