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55 multiple-choice questions and 12 flashcards on Medications, about 34% of the Pharmacy Tech bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
Medications is one of 4 chapters in CoStudy's Pharmacy Tech (PTCB CPhT) bank, and it holds 55 of the bank's 162 multiple-choice questions — roughly 34% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.
Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.
10 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.
Atenolol and amlodipine are both used for hypertension. Which class does atenolol belong to?
Answer: D — Beta blocker
Atenolol is a cardioselective beta blocker ('-olol' suffix). Amlodipine ('-dipine') is the dihydropyridine CCB. The two are easily confused in technician shorthand. A/C/B) Wrong classes.
Generic name for Coumadin is:
Answer: B — Warfarin
B) Warfarin = Coumadin (vitamin K antagonist). A) Different anticoagulant. C) Eliquis. D) Xarelto.
Oxycodone is in which DEA schedule?
Answer: A — Schedule II
Pure oxycodone and oxycodone-acetaminophen combos are both CII (changed from CIII in 2014). A) Correct. B/C/D) Lower control levels.
Generic name for Synthroid is:
Answer: C — Levothyroxine
C) Synthroid = levothyroxine (T4). A) Cytomel (T3). B/D) Antithyroid agents.
Methadone for opioid use disorder must be dispensed from:
Answer: D — Federally certified Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs)
Methadone for OUD is restricted to SAMHSA-certified OTPs. Methadone for pain can be dispensed at retail with a CII Rx. A/C/B) Incorrect.
Omeprazole and ranitidine differ in mechanism. Omeprazole is a:
Answer: D — Proton pump inhibitor
Omeprazole irreversibly inhibits the H+/K+ ATPase ('proton pump'). A) Ranitidine, famotidine. C) Calcium carbonate. B) Misoprostol.
A patient is taking lisinopril 20 mg daily and develops a persistent dry cough. The pharmacist recommends switching to an ARB. Which is the most appropriate substitute?
Answer: C — Losartan
ARBs end in '-sartan' and act on the same RAAS pathway without bradykinin accumulation that causes ACE-I cough. A) Beta blocker. B) Calcium channel blocker. D) Thiazide diuretic.
Montelukast (Singulair) carries a boxed warning for:
Answer: B — Neuropsychiatric events including suicidal thinking
FDA added boxed warning in 2020 for mood/behavior changes. A/C/D) Not in the boxed warning.
Sildenafil should NOT be combined with:
Answer: B — Nitrates (nitroglycerin)
Combined sildenafil + nitrates cause life-threatening hypotension. A/C/D) Not contraindicated.
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) is in which drug class?
Answer: C — HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor
Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, reducing hepatic cholesterol synthesis. A) Gemfibrozil/fenofibrate. B) Cholestyramine. D) Alirocumab/evolocumab (injectable monoclonals).
3 cards from the 12 in this chapter.
Insulin: Long-acting?
Glargine (Lantus), detemir, degludec. Onset 1-2 hr, no marked peak, 20-24+ hr.
Common suffix '-statin'?
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (atorvastatin, rosuvastatin). Lower cholesterol.
Brand vs Generic name?
Brand (trade): proprietary, e.g., Tylenol. Generic: nonproprietary, e.g., acetaminophen. Generic must show bioequivalence.
These are a sample. The full Medications chapter runs 67 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
Open Pharmacy Tech in CoStudy →