Medical Pharmacology: Antiepileptic Practice Test Questions

Clinically used in treating grand mal seizures:
1. phenobarbital
2. carbamazepine
3. phenytoin
4. A & C
5. A,B & C
Combination drug therapy useful in management of absence seizures:
1. propofol and chlorpromazine
2. diazepam and phenytoin
3. phenytoin and ethosuximide
4. fentanyl and propofol
5. thiopental and diazepam
Effective in management of partial seizures:
1. phenytoin
2. phenobarbital
3. primidone
4. carbamazepine
5. all the above
Effective in treating absence seizures:
1. ethosuximide
2. valproate
3. clonazepam
4. trimethadione
5. all the above
Ineffective in treating grand mal epilepsy
1. phenytoin
2. phenobarbital
3. primidone
4. carbamazepine
5. ethosuximide
Least likely to be used to toxicity despite efficacy in treating petit mal epilepsy:
1. clonazepam
2. ethosuximide
3. trimethadione
4. valproate
Effective in treating petit mal epilepsy, but tolerance develops to its antiepileptic effects within a few weeks:
1. ethosuximide
2. trimethadione
3. acetazolamide
4. clonazepam
5. valproate
Least sedating while effective in managing grand mal and partial seizures:
1. phenytoin
2. primidone
3. carbamazepine
4. phenobarbital
Antiseizure effectiveness is due to its metabolism to phenobarbital and phenylethylmalonamide (PEMA).
1. phenytoin
2. carbamazepine
3. primidone
4. clonazepam
5. vigabatrin
Drug interactions involving antiseizure medications:
1. Valproate can cause serum phenobarbital to increase by as much as 40%.
2. Alcohol can decrease phenytoin efficacy.
3. Phenytoin can decrease oral contraceptive efficacy (by increasing their metabolism)
4. A & B
5. A,B & C
Side effects of this antiseizure drug:moderate neutropenia (20% of patients), fulminating pancytopenia and aplastic anemia, lupus erythematosus
1. carbamazepine
2. trimethadione
3. valproate
4. acetazolamide
5. primidone
Antiseizure drug that probably acts principally at Ca channels:
1. carbamazepine
2. phenytoin
3. ethosuximide
Useful in treating myoclonic seizures in children, absence seizures, and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome:
1. valproate
2. baclofen
3. clonazepam
4. phenobarbital
5. carbamazepine
Effective in management of complex partial seizures:
1. gabapentin
2. lamotrigine
3. ethosuximide
4. A & B
5. A,B & C
A seizure which varies in its presentations depending upon which part of the cortex is affected; last between 20 and 60 seconds; does not impair the patient's state of consciousness:
1. complex partial
2. simple partial
3. absence
4. myoclonic
Effective in terminating status epilepticus:
1. IV diazepam
2. IV valproate
3. both
4. neither
Hirsuitism is associated with chronic administration of this antiseizure medication:
1. primidone
2. valproate
3. phenytoin
4. carbamazepine
5. clonazepam
Gingival (gum) hyperplasia is a side-effect associated with this antiseizure drug:
1. valproate
2. phenobarbital
3. diazepam
4. phenytoin
5. carbamazepine