Puzzles:

Matching Challenge: Look-Alike, Sound-Alikes

By: Addolorata Ciccone, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013

The following medications are easily confused.  Try to match each one with its corresponding fun fact. 

  1. This capsule should be swallowed whole; if chewed or dissolved orally, oropharyngeal anesthesia may occur, which poses a choking hazard.  Drinking a glass of water can help bypass this potential adverse effect.
  2. This capsule (indicated for Crohn’s disease) should be swallowed whole.  The inhaler or solution for nebulization (indicated for maintenance treatment of asthma) predisposes patients to oral fungal infections, which can be prevented by rinsing the mouth with water after each use.
  3. Like the other agents in its class, this angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) crosses the placenta and damages fetal development.  Due to this teratogenicity, these agents are contraindicated during pregnancy.
  4. In comparison to other anxiolytic agents, this drug is relatively less sedating and may thus be a more suitable choice in the geriatric population when an anxiolytic is indicated.
  5. This antibiotic is available in both injection and topical dosage forms.  Concerns related to adverse effects range from nephrotoxicity to pruritus.
  6. This potent loop diuretic is approximately equivalent to 40 mg of furosemide, 20 mg or torsemide, and 50 mg of ethacrynic acid.
  7. This product is available in 150 mg and 300 mg tablets and is usually dosed once daily for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.
  8. This product is available in 100 mg and 150 mg tablets and is usually dosed twice daily for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.
  9. This centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant has a black box warning cautioning against the abrupt discontinuation of intrathecal administration, for it is associated with causing high fever, altered mental status, rebound spasticity, muscle rigidity, and rhabdomyolysis, potentially leading to organ failure or death.  At low oral doses, this agent has an off-label indication for hiccups.
  10. This opiod partial agonist is combined with the opiod antagonist naloxone in a new sublingual film formulation.  Since the film is dosed the same as the previously available sublingual tablets, prescribers can switch patients between dosage forms; however, in comparison to the tablets, the film has a slightly greater bioavailability, dissolves more quickly, tastes better, and can be cut for dose tapering.

 

A.   BacitracinB.   Baclofen

C.   Benazepril

D.   Benzonatate

E.   Budesonide

F.   Bumetanide

G.   Buprenorphine

H.   Bupropion SR

I.   Bupropion XL

J.   Buspirone

 

Answers:

1. D – Benzonatate

2. E – Budesonide

3. C – Benazepril

4. J – Buspirone

5. A – Bacitracin

6. F – Bumetanide

7. I – Bupropion XL

8. H – Bupropion SR

9. B – Baclofen

10. G – Buprenorphine

 

SOURCES:

  1. ACOG Committee on Practice Bulletins, “Practice Bulletin No. 125: Chronic Hypertension in Pregnancy,” Obstet Gynecol, 2012, 119(2 Pt 1):396.
  2. Comparison of bupropion products. Pharmacist’s Letter 2011; 27(2):270209.
  3. Comparison of commonly used diuretics. Pharmacist’s Letter 2012; 28(2):280202.
  4. Kunik ME, Yudofsky SC, Silver JM, et al. Pharmacologic Approach to Management of Agitation Associated With Dementia.  J Clin Psychiatry, 1994, 55(2):13—7.
  5. Lee JH, Kim TY, Lee HW, et al. Treatment of intractable hiccups with an oral agent monotherapy of baclofen-a case report-.  Korean J Pain 2010;23(1):42—5. Epub 2010 Mar 10.
  6. Lexi-Comp, Inc. (Lexi-DrugsTM). Accessed March 25, 2012. Internet.
  7. New Formulation: Suboxone sublingual film. Pharmacist’s Letter 2011; 27(1):270109.
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