“medications 101”
Wow, where do I begin? Let’s just say I’m glad I have the opportunity to become familiar with pharmacology before I have to take exams on it in school. This section will begin a mini-series I will be doing throughout the course of SJS. In this post we’re going to look at the medication ending, -lol.
When I first heard the medication name “metoprolol”, I remember thinking “well social media’s definitely made that easy for me to remember.” I soon noticed that there were a lot more medications with this ending and quickly thought twice. After realizing these medications were often being prescribed to treat patients with conditions like hypertension and hyperthyroidism, I became inquisitive about their function and relation to each other.
If you’ve ever taken some sort of Biology class, especially Biochemistry, you’ve probably heard of the term beta blockers. I personally remember hearing about it in the context of its effects on epinephrine so I had a bit of an “Ha-Ha” moment when I realized metoprolol – and all the -lol’s – fit into that classification. By definition, beta blockers are medications that inhibit the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) on the body, therefore leading to less strain on the heart by reducing HR, contractility and arterial pressure.1 The latter, in other words, allows for the dilation of blood vessels so that blood flow can be increased to the heart – thereby explaining the mechanism for how it reduces BP in hypertensive patients. But how can beta blockers help with hyperthyroidism? Well, some symptoms of hyperthyroidism include an irregular heartbeat, an increased HR and palpitations – all of which relate back to the heart. By relieving the amount of strain placed on the heart, these symptoms of hyperthyroidism can then be better controlled. It’s important to remember, though, that a beta blocker will not change the level of thyroid hormones in an individual’s body, it’ll simply help in reducing some symptoms caused by this condition.2
Other examples of beta blockers:
Atenolol
Propranolol
Nadolol
Nebivolol
“dehydration headaches”
I know with this new year a lot of us have resolutions that we would like to accomplish. One of mine is to increase my daily fluid intake. I’m often reminded of this goal when patient’s come into the clinic complaining of constant headaches but admitting to not drinking enough water! I’m sure a lot (if not all) of us have been told to drink more water when we have headaches to the point where it’s become second-nature. Often times, however, the how is never explained so I took it upon myself to look into the mechanism of how dehydration could cause headaches.
With some research I came across sources suggesting that the constriction of blood vessels to accommodate for a decrease in blood volume was a potential cause of such headaches.3 Another theory suggests that when dehydrated, certain areas of the brain shrink and pull away from the skull, causing pain that we know as a ‘headache’.4 This led me to ask the question “Can this in turn impair cognitive function?” Sadly, my research showed inconclusive results linking dehydration to cognitive performance. So if you’re reading this and got some answers, please feel free to drop it in the comments section below because I’m still curious!
“fancy medical diagnoses”
One thing I love about working in a hospital environment is getting introduced to new terms & phrases more often than I can count. Below are a select few I wanted to share with you all.
Spider telangiectasia \ ˈspī-dər tel-ˌan-jē-ˌek-ˈtā-zh(ē-)ə \
Let’s start by breaking down the word “telangiectasia”. This is a general term used to describe widened venules (small blood vessels) that are found near the surface of the skin, causing pink or red lines in the affected area. These are known to appear anywhere on the body and are referred to as ‘spider telangiectasia’ when there is a red, central feeding vessel with outward branches.5
Subungual hematoma \ ˌsəb-ˈəŋ-gwəl hē-mə-ˈtō-mə \
Since we’re using medical terminology, a hematoma is a collection of blood while subungual refers to something being underneath a finger or toe nail. Put together, it is a pool of blood underneath a finger or toenail. I’m sure a few of us have had at least one of these at some point in time and I’ve seen a few patients complain of this alone in the past few months; but how many of you knew what this medical term was fully describing just by looking at it? Even with 4 years of Latin, I know I didn’t (sad, right?).
But to me that all speaks to the importance of clinical experiences such as being a medical scribe. I can bring what I have learned from classes into a real environment and either build on it or simply learn something new. Hopefully all of you reading this post can say the same 🙂
NOTE TO SELF
Sources
- “Beta blockers.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/beta-blockers/art-20044522.
- “Thyroid Medications.” Johns Hopkins Lupus Center, www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-treatment/common-medications-conditions/thyroid-medications/.
- Klein, Sarah. “9 Weird Things Dehydration Does To Your Body.” Prevention, www.prevention.com/health/dehydration-and-your-body.
- Fletcher, Jenna. “Dehydration headaches: Signs, treatment, and prevention.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317511.php.
- Wu, B. (n.d.). What is a Telangiectasia and Should I Be Worried? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312845.php
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