Authors

  1. Gever, Marcy Portnoff PharmD, MEd

Article Content

Do you know what they contain? Match the names in Section I with the ingredients in Section II.

 

SECTION I

_____ 1. Janumet (Merck)

 

_____ 2. EMLA (AstraZeneca)

 

_____ 3. Modicon (Ortho-McNeil)

 

_____ 4. Lotrel (Novartis)

 

_____ 5. Nucofed (Monarch)

 

SECTION II

a.lidocaine, 2.5%; prilocaine, 2.5%

 

This topical anesthetic cream is indicated for use on normal intact skin for local analgesia and genital mucous membranes for superficial minor surgery and as pretreatment for infiltration anesthesia. It must be applied at least 1 hour before minor procedures (venipuncture) and 2 hours before more painful procedures (skin grafting).

 

b.amlodipine besylate, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg; benazepril HCl, 10, 20, or 40 mg

 

Prescribed to treat hypertension, this combination contains the calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor benazepril. Tell your patient to contact his health care provider if he develops a cough, which may be an adverse reaction to benazepril.

 

c.codeine phosphate, 20 mg; pseudoephedrine HCl, 60 mg

 

This combination is prescribed to treat cough and congestion associated with upper respiratory infections. Codeine is an antitussive; pseudoephedrine, a decongestant. Warn your patient to use caution while driving or performing activities that require mental alertness.

 

d.sitagliptin, 50 mg; metformin HCl, 500 or 1,000 mg

 

Sitagliptin and metformin are oral antihyperglycemic agents used as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Tell your patient to report myalgia, respiratory distress, or malaise, which may be symptoms of lactic acidosis, a potentially serious adverse reaction to metformin.

 

e.norethindrone, 0.5 mg; ethinyl estradiol, 0.035 mg

 

This oral contraceptive contains the progestin norethindrone and the estrogen ethinyl estradiol. If your patient misses two pills on consecutive days during week 1 or 2, tell her to take two pills on the day she remembers and two pills the next day, then one pill a day until she finishes the pack. She should use another form of birth control for the next 7 days if she's sexually active.

 

ANSWERS: 1d, 2a, 3e, 4b, 5c.