Week 4: NR546 / NR 546 (Latest Update 2025 / 2026) Advanced Pharmacology Psychopharmacology for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | Questions with Verified Answers – Chamberlain.

Week 4: NR546 / NR 546 (Latest Update )
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Advanced Pharmacology Psychopharmacology for the i,- i,- i,- i,- i,-




Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | i,- i,- i,- i,- i,-




Questions with Verified Answers – Chamberlain. i,- i,- i,- i,- i,-




Benzodiazepines i,-i,- i,- used to treat acute anxiety symptoms.
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MOA: increase GABA's inhibitory activity, leading to the
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decreased output of excitatory neurotransmitters
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(norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and dopamine) i,- i,- i,- i,-




Benzodiazepine receptor subtypes: i,- i,- i,-




Alpha one: sedative effects.
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Alpha two: anti-anxiety effects.
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Alpha one, alpha two, and alpha five: anticonvulsant effects.
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Which NT do anxiolytics target
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How to remember the SSRIs
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Panic, & Compulsions
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E- Escitalopram
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F- Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine
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S- Sertraline
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P- Paroxetine
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,C- Citalopram
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Which disorders do SNRIs not treat
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disorders except OCD i,- i,-




How to remember SNRIs
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V- Venloxefine
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D- Duloxetine & Desvenlafaxine
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Which agents must be avoided when taking Buspirone
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Abrupt cessation of benzodiazepines can lead to
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death


Fight or Flight Response:
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Neuroanatomy
Neural networks i,-




Neural signaling Neuroanatomy: The amygdala interprets
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sights and sounds associated with stress or fear and sends a
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distress signal to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus initiates
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the fight-or-flight response by activating the sympathetic nervous
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system. The adrenal glands send out adrenaline to prepare the
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body to fight or flee in the presence of a threat. As the adrenaline
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,subsides, the hypothalamus activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-
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adrenal (HPA) axis resulting in the release of cortisol.
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Neural networks: feelings of fear, which include panic and phobia,
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are thought to be regulated through the connections between
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the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex areas that regulate
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emotions: the orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate
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cortex. Fear could be a response to the overactivation of the CSTC
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circuits. The motor response to fear is regulated by connections
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between the amygdala and the periaqueductal grey area located
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in the brainstem.
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Neural signaling: CSTC loop regulates the following NT serotonin,
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gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, norepinephrine, i,- i,- i,- i,- i,-



and glutamate which also help regulate the amygdala. GABA =
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inhibitory; Glutamate = excitatory. GABA is the "chill" to
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glutamate. GABA sends an inhibitory message, primarily to the
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amygdala and the prefrontal cortex through the CTSC, thus
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inhibiting the anxiety response. i,- i,- i,-




Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
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the ines
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are used for the treatment of all anxiety disorders.
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MOA: act by preventing the reuptake of 5-HT by synapses in the
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brain.

, Drugs: citalopram (Celexa) escitalopram (Lexapro) fluoxetine
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(Prozac) fluvoxamine (Luvox, Luvox CR) paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR)
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sertraline (Zoloft) i,-




Adverse effects: weight gain, sexual dysfunction, serotonin
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syndrome
Clinical Pearls: increase dosage after 2-4 weeks as needed to
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control anxiety. i,-




Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are i,- i,- i,- i,-i,- i,- i,-



used to treat all anxiety disorders except obsessive-compulsive
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disorder.
MAO: work by preventing the reuptake of 5-HT and
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norepinephrine (NE) by synapses in the brain. i,- i,- i,- i,- i,- i,-




Drugs: desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) duloxetine (Cymbalta) venlafaxine
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(Effexor, Effexor XR) levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
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Adverse Effects: SHAT; i,- i,- i,-




S- Same as SNRIs
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H- Hypertension
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A- Adrenergic (awake, anxious, agitated)
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T- Tachycardia
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Contraindications: liver problems, hypertension i,- i,- i,-




Clinical Pearls: Due to the presence of norepinephrine, SNRIs can
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exacerbate anxiety. i,-