WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025 Complet
160 Actual Exam Questions with Correct Verified Answers/ Graded A+
1. A patient presents to an emer- YES With food or an empty stom-
gency room complaining of palpi- ach
tations and irregular heartbeat. The
advanced practice registered nurse
(APRN) places the patient on a car-
diac monitor and observes atrial fibril-
lation. The APRN orders dofetilide.
How should the APRN recommend
this medication be taken?
2. A 70-year-old male calls a clinic com- Do not take the nitroglycerin and
plaining of chest pain that started call 911
after having sexual activity. He took
sildenafil 50 mg about eight hours Taking the medications together
ago. He has nitroglycerin 0.3 mg on can cause a serious drop in blood
hand. pressure leading to cardiovascular
How should the advanced practice collapse.
registered nurse respond?
3. A patient diagnosed with bipolar dis- A baseline blood urea nitrogen
order who is in a mental health clin- (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) level
ic is discussing the possibility of needs to be drawn to assess kid-
beginning lithium with an advanced ney function prior to treatment.
practice registered nurse (APRN). The
patient expresses understanding and This drug can cause decreased re-
wishes to proceed with treatment. The nal function, and a baseline should
APRN explains to the patient that this be drawn for future comparison.
medication requires specific lab mon-
itoring and wants to draw baseline
labs. The patient asks why the test is
needed.
Which explanation should the APRN
provide to this patient?
4. An advanced practice registered YES A 54-year-male with a med-
nurse (APRN) is reviewing the med- ical history of hypertension, mild
ications that will be commonly expe- eczema, and previous history of a
rienced with a new nurse to deter- urolithiasis where all is well con-
mine whether the drugs are safe for
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
the patients. The new nurse is given a trolled and there are no current
scenario where a patient is being pre- complications
scribed sildenafil 25 mg po prn, a pro-
totype drug for erectile dysfunction.
Which patient may take this drug safe-
ly?
5. A 30-year-old patient presents to a pri- YES Influences receptor activity on
mary care clinic with a history of anx- target cells
iety. The advanced practice registered
nurse reviews the mechanism of ac- Correct! This medication influ-
tion by which many neuropharmaco- ences the activity in the receptors,
logical agents act and decides to pre- and it targets cells.
scribe citalopram.
What is the mechanism of action of
this medication?
6. A patient is admitted with a diagno- NO Modulates the effects of gluta-
sis of Huntington disease. On admis- mate at NMDA receptors
sion, the patient exhibits uncontrolled YES Inhibits neurotransmitter
twitching, difficulty walking, trouble GABA
swallowing, confusion, and memo- NO Halts the breakdown of acetyl-
ry loss. The advanced practice reg- choline by acetylcholinesterase
istered nurse (APRN) prescribes ba- Alters the synthesis and release
clofen. of norepinephrine, serotonin, and
What is the mechanism of action of dopamine
this medication? Incorrect. Cholinesterase inhibitors
prevent the breakdown of acetyl-
choline by acetylcholinesterase.
They are used in patients with
Alzheimer's.
Correct! Huntington's disease in-
volves a deficiency of the neu-
rotransmitters acetylcholine and
y-aminobutyric acid in the basal
ganglia and extrapyramidal sys-
tem.
7.
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
A 21-year-old patient accompanied by Atonic
a parent comes to a clinic for an emer- NO Myoclonic
gency visit with an advanced prac- YES Tonic-clonic
tice registered nurse (APRN) following Absence
a seizure. Upon interviewing the pa- Incorrect. Myoclonic seizures con-
tient and the parent, the APRN deter- sist of a sudden muscle contraction
mines that the seizure is classified by that lasts for just one second.
marked impairment of consciousness Correct! A tonic-clonic seizure is a
and is followed by a period of central type of seizure that is also called
nervous system (CNS) depression. a convulsion. This type of seizure
Which type of seizure is this patient can include muscle stiffness, loss
experiencing? of consciousness, and body jerk-
ing.
8. A patient has been taking oral oxy- YES Physical dependence
codone every six hours for back pain Correct! The patient suddenly
during the past three years. The pa- stopping the medication will cause
tient suddenly decides to stop taking physical symptoms that can range
the pain medication and is trying an al- from nausea to seizures.
ternative therapy without a clinician's
approval.
Which risk is of clinical concern?
9. An advanced practice registered YES Bupropion
nurse has diagnosed a 44-year-old
male with depression. A plan is devel- Correct! Bupropion does not cause
oped to start treatment with medica- sexual dysfunction. This will help
tion. The patient has a history of sexu- the patient with a history of sexual
al dysfunction and is concerned about dysfunction. This will enhance the
taking medication that may worsen patient's libido, which will help with
this condition. both depression and sexual dys-
Which antidepressant has the benefit function.
of enhancing libido?
10. A patient is wheezing and short of YES Tachycardia
breath. The nurse assesses a heart
rate of 88 beats per minute, a respira- Correct! Beta-agonists are used for
tory rate of 24 breaths per minute, and asthma because of their beta2 ef-
a blood pressure of 124/78 mm Hg. fects on bronchial smooth mus-
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
The prescriber orders a nonspecific cle, causing dilation. Beta1 effects
beta-agonist medication. cause tachycardia and hyperten-
Besides evaluating the patient for a sion. Beta receptors do not exert
reduction in respiratory distress, the effects on the bladder.
nurse should monitor for which side
effect?
11. A patient is experiencing toxic side ef- YES Physostigmine
fects from atropine, including delirium
and hallucinations. Which medication Correct! Physostigmine is the
should the provider administer? drug of choice for treating poi-
soning from atropine and oth-
er drugs that cause muscarinic
blockade. Donepezil is used to
treat Alzheimer disease. Edropho-
nium is used to distinguish be-
tween a myasthenic crisis and a
cholinesterase inhibitor overdose.
Neostigmine does not cross the
blood-brain barrier and would not
effectively treat this patient's cen-
tral nervous system (CNS) symp-
toms.
12. A patient brought to the emergency allow a reduced dose of the anes-
department requires sutures. The pre- thetic
scriber orders a local anesthetic with
epinephrine. Correct! Epinephrine prolongs ab-
The epinephrine is ordered to sorption of the anesthetic because
___________. it is an alpha1 agonist. It is fre-
quently combined with a local
anesthetic for this purpose so
the amount of anesthetic required
may be reduced. Local anesthet-
ics do not induce hypertension;
therefore, epinephrine would not
be needed to prevent it. Epineph-
rine does not act as an antiemet-
ic and would not reduce anesthet-
160 Actual Exam Questions with Correct Verified Answers/ Graded A+
1. A patient presents to an emer- YES With food or an empty stom-
gency room complaining of palpi- ach
tations and irregular heartbeat. The
advanced practice registered nurse
(APRN) places the patient on a car-
diac monitor and observes atrial fibril-
lation. The APRN orders dofetilide.
How should the APRN recommend
this medication be taken?
2. A 70-year-old male calls a clinic com- Do not take the nitroglycerin and
plaining of chest pain that started call 911
after having sexual activity. He took
sildenafil 50 mg about eight hours Taking the medications together
ago. He has nitroglycerin 0.3 mg on can cause a serious drop in blood
hand. pressure leading to cardiovascular
How should the advanced practice collapse.
registered nurse respond?
3. A patient diagnosed with bipolar dis- A baseline blood urea nitrogen
order who is in a mental health clin- (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) level
ic is discussing the possibility of needs to be drawn to assess kid-
beginning lithium with an advanced ney function prior to treatment.
practice registered nurse (APRN). The
patient expresses understanding and This drug can cause decreased re-
wishes to proceed with treatment. The nal function, and a baseline should
APRN explains to the patient that this be drawn for future comparison.
medication requires specific lab mon-
itoring and wants to draw baseline
labs. The patient asks why the test is
needed.
Which explanation should the APRN
provide to this patient?
4. An advanced practice registered YES A 54-year-male with a med-
nurse (APRN) is reviewing the med- ical history of hypertension, mild
ications that will be commonly expe- eczema, and previous history of a
rienced with a new nurse to deter- urolithiasis where all is well con-
mine whether the drugs are safe for
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
the patients. The new nurse is given a trolled and there are no current
scenario where a patient is being pre- complications
scribed sildenafil 25 mg po prn, a pro-
totype drug for erectile dysfunction.
Which patient may take this drug safe-
ly?
5. A 30-year-old patient presents to a pri- YES Influences receptor activity on
mary care clinic with a history of anx- target cells
iety. The advanced practice registered
nurse reviews the mechanism of ac- Correct! This medication influ-
tion by which many neuropharmaco- ences the activity in the receptors,
logical agents act and decides to pre- and it targets cells.
scribe citalopram.
What is the mechanism of action of
this medication?
6. A patient is admitted with a diagno- NO Modulates the effects of gluta-
sis of Huntington disease. On admis- mate at NMDA receptors
sion, the patient exhibits uncontrolled YES Inhibits neurotransmitter
twitching, difficulty walking, trouble GABA
swallowing, confusion, and memo- NO Halts the breakdown of acetyl-
ry loss. The advanced practice reg- choline by acetylcholinesterase
istered nurse (APRN) prescribes ba- Alters the synthesis and release
clofen. of norepinephrine, serotonin, and
What is the mechanism of action of dopamine
this medication? Incorrect. Cholinesterase inhibitors
prevent the breakdown of acetyl-
choline by acetylcholinesterase.
They are used in patients with
Alzheimer's.
Correct! Huntington's disease in-
volves a deficiency of the neu-
rotransmitters acetylcholine and
y-aminobutyric acid in the basal
ganglia and extrapyramidal sys-
tem.
7.
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
A 21-year-old patient accompanied by Atonic
a parent comes to a clinic for an emer- NO Myoclonic
gency visit with an advanced prac- YES Tonic-clonic
tice registered nurse (APRN) following Absence
a seizure. Upon interviewing the pa- Incorrect. Myoclonic seizures con-
tient and the parent, the APRN deter- sist of a sudden muscle contraction
mines that the seizure is classified by that lasts for just one second.
marked impairment of consciousness Correct! A tonic-clonic seizure is a
and is followed by a period of central type of seizure that is also called
nervous system (CNS) depression. a convulsion. This type of seizure
Which type of seizure is this patient can include muscle stiffness, loss
experiencing? of consciousness, and body jerk-
ing.
8. A patient has been taking oral oxy- YES Physical dependence
codone every six hours for back pain Correct! The patient suddenly
during the past three years. The pa- stopping the medication will cause
tient suddenly decides to stop taking physical symptoms that can range
the pain medication and is trying an al- from nausea to seizures.
ternative therapy without a clinician's
approval.
Which risk is of clinical concern?
9. An advanced practice registered YES Bupropion
nurse has diagnosed a 44-year-old
male with depression. A plan is devel- Correct! Bupropion does not cause
oped to start treatment with medica- sexual dysfunction. This will help
tion. The patient has a history of sexu- the patient with a history of sexual
al dysfunction and is concerned about dysfunction. This will enhance the
taking medication that may worsen patient's libido, which will help with
this condition. both depression and sexual dys-
Which antidepressant has the benefit function.
of enhancing libido?
10. A patient is wheezing and short of YES Tachycardia
breath. The nurse assesses a heart
rate of 88 beats per minute, a respira- Correct! Beta-agonists are used for
tory rate of 24 breaths per minute, and asthma because of their beta2 ef-
a blood pressure of 124/78 mm Hg. fects on bronchial smooth mus-
, WGU D116 Pharmacology Final Exam Review Latest 2024 -2025
The prescriber orders a nonspecific cle, causing dilation. Beta1 effects
beta-agonist medication. cause tachycardia and hyperten-
Besides evaluating the patient for a sion. Beta receptors do not exert
reduction in respiratory distress, the effects on the bladder.
nurse should monitor for which side
effect?
11. A patient is experiencing toxic side ef- YES Physostigmine
fects from atropine, including delirium
and hallucinations. Which medication Correct! Physostigmine is the
should the provider administer? drug of choice for treating poi-
soning from atropine and oth-
er drugs that cause muscarinic
blockade. Donepezil is used to
treat Alzheimer disease. Edropho-
nium is used to distinguish be-
tween a myasthenic crisis and a
cholinesterase inhibitor overdose.
Neostigmine does not cross the
blood-brain barrier and would not
effectively treat this patient's cen-
tral nervous system (CNS) symp-
toms.
12. A patient brought to the emergency allow a reduced dose of the anes-
department requires sutures. The pre- thetic
scriber orders a local anesthetic with
epinephrine. Correct! Epinephrine prolongs ab-
The epinephrine is ordered to sorption of the anesthetic because
___________. it is an alpha1 agonist. It is fre-
quently combined with a local
anesthetic for this purpose so
the amount of anesthetic required
may be reduced. Local anesthet-
ics do not induce hypertension;
therefore, epinephrine would not
be needed to prevent it. Epineph-
rine does not act as an antiemet-
ic and would not reduce anesthet-
