Welcome to your Central Nervous System
1. A 43-year-old very overweight man complains of not sleeping well and feeling tired during the day. He tells his physician that his wife is the cause of the problem because she wakes him up several times during the night because of his loud snores. This appears to be a breathing-related sleep disorder, so you should probably write a prescription for
2. Which statement concerning the barbiturates is accurate?
3. A 24-year-old stockbroker has developed a "nervous disposi- tion." He is easily startled, worries about inconsequential matters, and sometimes complains of stomach cramps. At night he grinds his teeth in his sleep. There is no history of drug abuse. Diagnosed as suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, he is prescribed buspirone. His physician should inform the patient to anticipate
4. Which of the following best describes the mechanism of action of benzodiazepines?
5. An 82-year-old woman, otherwise healthy for her age, has difficulty sleeping. Triazolam is prescribed for her at one-half of the conventional adult dose. Which statement about the use of triazolam in this elderly patient is accurate?
6. The most likely explanation for the increased sensitivity of elderly patients after administration of a single dose of a benzodiazepine is
7. A 28-year-old woman has sporadic attacks of intense anxiety with marked physical symptoms, including hyperventilation, tachycardia, and sweating. If she is diagnosed as suffering from a panic disorder, the most appropriate drug to use is
8. Which drug used in the maintenance treatment of patients with tonic-clonic or partial seizure states increases the hepatic metabolism of many drugs including both warfarin and phenytoin?
9. A patient with liver dysfunction is scheduled for a surgical procedure. Lorazepam or oxazepam can be used for preanesthetic sedation in this patient without special concern regarding excessive CNS depression because these drugs are
10. This drug used in the management of insomnia facilitates the inhibitory actions of GABA, but it lacks anticonvulsant or muscle-relaxing properties and has minimal effect on sleep architecture. Its actions are antagonized by flumazenil.
