Specific Pharmacology Drugs

• Metformin is a biguanide that is used to treat type two diabetes
• The dose of metformin is 500 mg for a week, then doubled for the next week and then tripled for the next, 2g max per day
• Metformins unlicensed use is for poly cystic ovary syndrome
• Side effects of metformin are diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, decreased appetite and abdo pain
• Gliclazide is a sulfonylurea that is used to treat type 2 diabetes
• Doses of gliclazide are 40-80mg daily, can be upped to 160mg once daily, max 320mg per day
• Side effects of gliclazide include abdo pain, diarrhoe and nausea
• Atorvastatin is a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and is used to lower cholesterol and fat levels in the body. It also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes that are caused by fat clogging up blood vessels.
• Secondary prevention of cardiovascular events Is Atorvastatins unlicensed use.
• 10mg/20mg is the usual dose of statins, 80mg being the max
• Side effects of statins include diarrhoea, dissiness, nausea, headache, epistaxis and sleep disorders.
• Amplodipine is a dihydropyridline calcium channel blocker that is used to treat hypertension and angina
• 5mg is the usual dose of a amlodipine, with 10mg being the max
• Side effects of amlodipine include dyspnoea, diarrhoea, muscle cramps and headache.
• Paracetamol is a non-opioid analgesic that is used for mild to moderate pain
• paracetamol dose is 500-1000mg every 4-6 hours, 4g daily
• If less than 50kg, patietns can only take 500mg
• Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and is used for cardiovascular disease.
• Aspirin can be given 75mg daily, but larger doses can be given of 300mg
• Aspirin can be given for secondary prevention of DVT and pulmonary embolism.
• Aspirin can also be given to those with unstable angina aswell as NSTEMI and STEMI.
• Bisoprolol fumarate is a beta blocker to treat hypertension and heart failure. Also used to prevent chest pain in patients with angina.
• Dose of bisoprolol fumarate is 1.25mg once daily or 2.5mg once daily if tolerated. Maximum dose is 10mg per day.
• Side effects of beta blockers are bradycardia, confusion, fatigue,headaches, nausea and vomiting
• Lisinopril is a diuretic and an ACE inhibitor and used to treat hypertension.
• Lisinopril is also used to treat renal complications of diabetes.
• Side effects of ACE-inhibitors include chest pain, constipation, headache, nausea and skin reactions.
• Prednisolone is a corticosteroid used to treat certain types of allergies as well as reducing inflammation in the body.
• Prednisolone is used for asthma, COPD and severe croup.
• Side effects of corticosteroids can be anxiety, hypertension, nausea and increase in weight
• Ramipril is a ACE-inhibitor and vasodilator that is used to treat hypertension
• Ramipril is usually taken in 1.25/2.5mg doses
• Co-codamol is a combination of codeine and paracetamol used for moderate pain
• Opioid Side effects include confusion, headaches, skin reactions and vomiting
• Metformin should be given with meals to help reduce stomach side effects
• Aspirin is best to take with food to reduce stomach upset.
• Prednisolone is to be taken with breakfast to avoid upset stomach and take less likely affect your sleep.
• Salbutamol inhalers are used relieve symptoms of asthma and COPD, it relaxes the muscles of the airways into the lungs
• 4mg is a regular dose for salbutamol, with 8mg being the max dose
• Salbutamol inhalers are beta-2-adrenoceptor agonists