Pharmacotherapy Principles and Practice Questions Answered Correctly Latest Update 2025
Acute Pain - Answers Mild to sharp pain that comes on suddenly and lasts anywhere from a few seconds
to up to a couple of months.
Chronic Pain - Answers Persistent pain that lasts weeks to years. pain may be caused by inflammation or
dysfunctional nerves.
Nociceptive Pain - Answers Transient pain in response to a noxious stimulus at nociceptor that are
located in cutaneous tissues. Bone, muscle, connective tissue, vessels and viscera.
Neuropathic Pain - Answers Spontaneous pain and hypersensitivity to pain associated with damage
to/or pathologic changes in the peripheral or CNS.
Malignant Pain - Answers Cancer pain
Can be nociceptive or neuropathic
Progresses rapidly
What are some non-pharmacological approaches to pain? - Answers Used for both acute and chronic
pain is psychological interventions and physical therapy.
Psychological approach- picturing oneself in a safe peaceful place. distractions listening to music or
focusing on breathing. - Answers This can reduce pain as well as anxiety, depression and fear related to
pain?
Chronic pain might benefit from? - Answers relaxation techniques, biofeedback, cognitive behavior
therapy, psychotherapy, support groups, and spiritual counseling.
Physical therapy - Answers Essential part of many types of pain situations. It includes modalities like
heat, cold, water, ultrasound, TENS, massage, and therapeutic exercise?
Heat and Cold - Answers Utilized in variety if musculoskeletal conditions. like spasms, lower back pain,
fibromyalgia, sprains and strains is?
Mild to moderate pain - Answers Generally treated with nonopioid analgesics?
Moderate Pain - Answers Treated with a combination of medium potency opioids and APAP or NSAIDS?
Severe Pain - Answers Treated with potent opioids?
Adjuvant medications - Answers These are added through the progression to manage side effects and
augment analgesia?
Clinical situation (type of pain), Cost, pharmacokinetics profile of available drugs, Patient specific factors
(Age, concomitant illnesses, previous response, and other medications) must be considered.
, Management in absence of pain needs to be anticipated like in pre surgery. - Answers For initial pain
therapy these guidelines can be useful?
Mild pain - Answers 1-3 on pain scale. Who recommends nonopioid analgesic reg sch dose like Tylenol
1000 mg q 6 hrs or Motrin 600 q 6 hrs, consider adjunt if pain is not reduced in 1-2 days is?
Moderate pain - Answers 4-6 on pain scale Who recommends ass opioid to the nonopioid for this pain,
example is tyl 325 mg + codeine?
Severe Pain - Answers 7-10 on the pain scale, Who recommends switch to high potency opioid reg
scheduled dose?
Nonselective (they inhibit COX-1 and COX-2) or selective (Inhibit only COX 2) based on degree of COX
inhabitation. COX 2 is for inflammatory effect. COX 1 inhabitation contributes to increased GI and renal
toxicity associated with nonselective agents. - Answers What is the mechanism of NSAIDs use?
Concurrent use might reduce the cardioprotective effect of ASA due to competitive inhibition of COX1.
On box, warning is the potential for increased risk of cardiovascular events and GI bleeding. - Answers
What is the precautions to use NSAIDs?
Ketorolac - Answers When using this ____ duration of use with this is limited to 5 days due to the risk of
serious GI side effects?
NSAID use - Answers GI irritation, Hepatic dysfunctions, renal insufficiency, platelet inhibition, sodium
retention, and CNS dysfunction are all side effects of?
NSAIDs - Answers When this is used in patients with cardiovascular risk, the benefit of therapy must
outweigh the risks and the lowest effective dose of the this is recommended?
NSAIDs - Answers These are indicated for Rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual cramps, and postsurgical pain,
Bony metastasis, and are minimal use in neuropathic pain?
All are equally effective, but there is great interpatient variability in responses. All have similar analgesic
effects. - Answers Is one NSAID better/ safer than another in a given patient?
NSAIDs demonstrate a flat-dose response curve, with higher doses producing no greater efficacy than
moderate doses but resulting in an increased incidence of adverse effects. - Answers Will dose
escalation of NSAIDs provide a greater benefits (ie is there a ceiling effect)?
mechanism of acetaminophen - Answers Believed to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in the CNS and block
pain impulse's in the periphery. They are used for mild to moderate pain?
APAP - Answers These are considered the 1st line of treatment in several pain situations. Like low back
and osteoarthritis?
APAP is well tolerated except causes hypothrombinemia response to warfarin in patients receiving APAP
doses of more that 2000 mg a day. - Answers What are the precautions for APAP?
Acute Pain - Answers Mild to sharp pain that comes on suddenly and lasts anywhere from a few seconds
to up to a couple of months.
Chronic Pain - Answers Persistent pain that lasts weeks to years. pain may be caused by inflammation or
dysfunctional nerves.
Nociceptive Pain - Answers Transient pain in response to a noxious stimulus at nociceptor that are
located in cutaneous tissues. Bone, muscle, connective tissue, vessels and viscera.
Neuropathic Pain - Answers Spontaneous pain and hypersensitivity to pain associated with damage
to/or pathologic changes in the peripheral or CNS.
Malignant Pain - Answers Cancer pain
Can be nociceptive or neuropathic
Progresses rapidly
What are some non-pharmacological approaches to pain? - Answers Used for both acute and chronic
pain is psychological interventions and physical therapy.
Psychological approach- picturing oneself in a safe peaceful place. distractions listening to music or
focusing on breathing. - Answers This can reduce pain as well as anxiety, depression and fear related to
pain?
Chronic pain might benefit from? - Answers relaxation techniques, biofeedback, cognitive behavior
therapy, psychotherapy, support groups, and spiritual counseling.
Physical therapy - Answers Essential part of many types of pain situations. It includes modalities like
heat, cold, water, ultrasound, TENS, massage, and therapeutic exercise?
Heat and Cold - Answers Utilized in variety if musculoskeletal conditions. like spasms, lower back pain,
fibromyalgia, sprains and strains is?
Mild to moderate pain - Answers Generally treated with nonopioid analgesics?
Moderate Pain - Answers Treated with a combination of medium potency opioids and APAP or NSAIDS?
Severe Pain - Answers Treated with potent opioids?
Adjuvant medications - Answers These are added through the progression to manage side effects and
augment analgesia?
Clinical situation (type of pain), Cost, pharmacokinetics profile of available drugs, Patient specific factors
(Age, concomitant illnesses, previous response, and other medications) must be considered.
, Management in absence of pain needs to be anticipated like in pre surgery. - Answers For initial pain
therapy these guidelines can be useful?
Mild pain - Answers 1-3 on pain scale. Who recommends nonopioid analgesic reg sch dose like Tylenol
1000 mg q 6 hrs or Motrin 600 q 6 hrs, consider adjunt if pain is not reduced in 1-2 days is?
Moderate pain - Answers 4-6 on pain scale Who recommends ass opioid to the nonopioid for this pain,
example is tyl 325 mg + codeine?
Severe Pain - Answers 7-10 on the pain scale, Who recommends switch to high potency opioid reg
scheduled dose?
Nonselective (they inhibit COX-1 and COX-2) or selective (Inhibit only COX 2) based on degree of COX
inhabitation. COX 2 is for inflammatory effect. COX 1 inhabitation contributes to increased GI and renal
toxicity associated with nonselective agents. - Answers What is the mechanism of NSAIDs use?
Concurrent use might reduce the cardioprotective effect of ASA due to competitive inhibition of COX1.
On box, warning is the potential for increased risk of cardiovascular events and GI bleeding. - Answers
What is the precautions to use NSAIDs?
Ketorolac - Answers When using this ____ duration of use with this is limited to 5 days due to the risk of
serious GI side effects?
NSAID use - Answers GI irritation, Hepatic dysfunctions, renal insufficiency, platelet inhibition, sodium
retention, and CNS dysfunction are all side effects of?
NSAIDs - Answers When this is used in patients with cardiovascular risk, the benefit of therapy must
outweigh the risks and the lowest effective dose of the this is recommended?
NSAIDs - Answers These are indicated for Rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual cramps, and postsurgical pain,
Bony metastasis, and are minimal use in neuropathic pain?
All are equally effective, but there is great interpatient variability in responses. All have similar analgesic
effects. - Answers Is one NSAID better/ safer than another in a given patient?
NSAIDs demonstrate a flat-dose response curve, with higher doses producing no greater efficacy than
moderate doses but resulting in an increased incidence of adverse effects. - Answers Will dose
escalation of NSAIDs provide a greater benefits (ie is there a ceiling effect)?
mechanism of acetaminophen - Answers Believed to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in the CNS and block
pain impulse's in the periphery. They are used for mild to moderate pain?
APAP - Answers These are considered the 1st line of treatment in several pain situations. Like low back
and osteoarthritis?
APAP is well tolerated except causes hypothrombinemia response to warfarin in patients receiving APAP
doses of more that 2000 mg a day. - Answers What are the precautions for APAP?
