NEET MDS Lessons
Pharmacology
Dextromethorphan
O-methylated dextrorphan, Excellent oral antitussive, No analgesic effect, No GI effects, No respiratory depression
Erythromycin
used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. For respiratory tract infections, it has better coverage of atypical organisms, including mycoplasma. It is also used to treat outbreaks of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea.
Erythromycin is produced from a strain of the actinomyces Saccaropolyspora erythraea, formerly known as Streptomyces erythraeus.
Mechanism of action Erythromycin prevents bacteria from growing, by interfering with their protein synthesis. Erythromycin binds to the subunit 50S of the bacterial ribosome, and thus inhibits the translocation of peptides.
Erythromycin is easily inactivated by gastric acids, therefore all orally administered formulations are given as either enteric coated or as more stable salts or esters. Erythromycin is very rapidly absorbed, and diffused into most tissues and phagocytes. Due to the high concentration in phagocytes, erythromycin is actively transported to the site of infection, where during active phagocytosis, large concentrations of erythromycin are released.
Most of erythromycin is metabolised by demethylation in the liver. Its main route elimination route is in the bile, and a small portion in the urine.
Erythromycin's half-life is 1.5 hours.
Side-effects. More serious side-effects, such as reversible deafness are rare. Cholestatic jaundice, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrosis are some other rare side effects that may occur.
Contraindications Earlier case reports on sudden death prompted a study on a large cohort that confirmed a link between erythromycin, ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac death in patients also taking drugs that prolong the metabolism of erythromycin (like verapamil or diltiazem)
erythromycin should not be administered in patients using these drugs, or drugs that also prolong the QT time.
Streptomycin
Streptomycin was the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. It is derived from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus.
Streptomycin cannot be given orally, but must be administered by regular intramuscular injection.
Barbiturates
1. Long-acting. Phenobarbital is used to treat certain types of seizures (see section on antiepileptic drugs).
2. Intermediate-acting. Amobarbital, pentobarbital (occasionally used for sleep), secobarbital.
3. Short-acting. Hexobarbital, methohexital, thiopental—rarely used as IV anesthetics.
Oxycodone
About equal potency to morphine. Very effective orally.
It is combined with aspirin or acetaminophen for the treatment of moderate pain and is available orally
Oxycodone is a semisynthetic compound derived from thebaine, with agonist activity primarily at mu receptors.
CNS acting drugs are of major therapeutic and clinical importance.
They can produce diverse physiologicaland psychologicaleffects such as:
•Induction of Anesthesia
•Relief of Pain
•Prevention of Epileptic seizures
•Reduction of Anxiety
•Treatment of Parkinsonism
•Treatment of Alzheimer's disease
•Treatment of Depression
•Centrally acting drugs also include drugs that are administered without medical intervention like tea, coffee, nicotine, and opiates.
TCI -Target Controlled Infusion
TCI is an infusion system which allows the anaesthetist to select the target blood concentration required for a particular effect and then to control depth of anaesthesia by adjusting the requested target concentration
Mechanism
Instead of setting ml/h or a dose rate (mg/kg/h), the pump can be programmed to target a required blood concentration.
• Effect site concentration targeting is now included for certain pharmacokinetic models.
• The pump will automatically calculate how much is needed as induction and maintenance to maintain that concentration.