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Medical and surgical emergencies
Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS): Clinical (To be retired)
Supraventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Ventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Heart blocks: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Heart failure: Clinical (To be retired)
Syncope: Clinical (To be retired)
Pericardial disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Valvular heart disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Chest trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Shock: Clinical (To be retired)
Peripheral vascular disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Leg ulcers: Clinical (To be retired)
Aortic aneurysms and dissections: Clinical (To be retired)
Cholinomimetics: Direct agonists
Cholinomimetics: Indirect agonists (anticholinesterases)
Muscarinic antagonists
Sympathomimetics: Direct agonists
Sympatholytics: Alpha-2 agonists
Adrenergic antagonists: Presynaptic
Adrenergic antagonists: Alpha blockers
Adrenergic antagonists: Beta blockers
ACE inhibitors, ARBs and direct renin inhibitors
Loop diuretics
Thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics
Calcium channel blockers
cGMP mediated smooth muscle vasodilators
Class I antiarrhythmics: Sodium channel blockers
Class II antiarrhythmics: Beta blockers
Class III antiarrhythmics: Potassium channel blockers
Class IV antiarrhythmics: Calcium channel blockers and others
Positive inotropic medications
Antiplatelet medications
Blistering skin disorders: Clinical (To be retired)
Bites and stings: Clinical (To be retired)
Burns: Clinical (To be retired)
Diabetes mellitus: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyperthyroidism: Clinical (To be retired)
Hypothyroidism and thyroiditis: Clinical (To be retired)
Parathyroid conditions and calcium imbalance: Clinical (To be retired)
Adrenal insufficiency: Clinical (To be retired)
Neck trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Insulins
Mineralocorticoids and mineralocorticoid antagonists
Glucocorticoids
Abdominal pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Appendicitis: Clinical (To be retired)
Gastrointestinal bleeding: Clinical (To be retired)
Peptic ulcers and stomach cancer: Clinical (To be retired)
Inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Diverticular disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Gallbladder disorders: Clinical (To be retired)
Pancreatitis: Clinical (To be retired)
Cirrhosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Hernias: Clinical (To be retired)
Bowel obstruction: Clinical (To be retired)
Abdominal trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Laxatives and cathartics
Antidiarrheals
Acid reducing medications
Blood products and transfusion: Clinical (To be retired)
Venous thromboembolism: Clinical (To be retired)
Anticoagulants: Heparin
Anticoagulants: Warfarin
Anticoagulants: Direct factor inhibitors
Antiplatelet medications
Thrombolytics
Fever of unknown origin: Clinical (To be retired)
Infective endocarditis: Clinical (To be retired)
Pneumonia: Clinical (To be retired)
Tuberculosis: Pathology review
Diarrhea: Clinical (To be retired)
Urinary tract infections: Clinical (To be retired)
Meningitis, encephalitis and brain abscesses: Clinical (To be retired)
Bites and stings: Clinical (To be retired)
Skin and soft tissue infections: Clinical (To be retired)
Protein synthesis inhibitors: Aminoglycosides
Antimetabolites: Sulfonamides and trimethoprim
Antituberculosis medications
Miscellaneous cell wall synthesis inhibitors
Protein synthesis inhibitors: Tetracyclines
Cell wall synthesis inhibitors: Penicillins
Miscellaneous protein synthesis inhibitors
Cell wall synthesis inhibitors: Cephalosporins
DNA synthesis inhibitors: Metronidazole
DNA synthesis inhibitors: Fluoroquinolones
Herpesvirus medications
Azoles
Echinocandins
Miscellaneous antifungal medications
Anthelmintic medications
Antimalarials
Anti-mite and louse medications
Hypernatremia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyponatremia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyperkalemia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hypokalemia: Clinical (To be retired)
Metabolic and respiratory acidosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Metabolic and respiratory alkalosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Toxidromes: Clinical (To be retired)
Medication overdoses and toxicities: Pathology review
Environmental and chemical toxicities: Pathology review
Acute kidney injury: Clinical (To be retired)
Kidney stones: Clinical (To be retired)
Adrenergic antagonists: Alpha blockers
Stroke: Clinical (To be retired)
Seizures: Clinical (To be retired)
Headaches: Clinical (To be retired)
Traumatic brain injury: Clinical (To be retired)
Neck trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Lower back pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Spinal cord disorders: Pathology review
Anticonvulsants and anxiolytics: Barbiturates
Anticonvulsants and anxiolytics: Benzodiazepines
Nonbenzodiazepine anticonvulsants
Migraine medications
Osmotic diuretics
Antiplatelet medications
Thrombolytics
Opioid agonists, mixed agonist-antagonists and partial agonists
Opioid antagonists
Asthma: Clinical (To be retired)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Clinical (To be retired)
Venous thromboembolism: Clinical (To be retired)
Acute respiratory distress syndrome: Clinical (To be retired)
Pleural effusion: Clinical (To be retired)
Pneumothorax: Clinical (To be retired)
Chest trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Bronchodilators: Beta 2-agonists and muscarinic antagonists
Pulmonary corticosteroids and mast cell inhibitors
Joint pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Anatomy clinical correlates: Clavicle and shoulder
Anatomy clinical correlates: Axilla
Anatomy clinical correlates: Arm, elbow and forearm
Anatomy clinical correlates: Wrist and hand
Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
Anatomy clinical correlates: Bones, joints and muscles of the back
Anatomy clinical correlates: Hip, gluteal region and thigh
Anatomy clinical correlates: Knee
Anatomy clinical correlates: Leg and ankle
Anatomy clinical correlates: Foot
Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Glucocorticoids
Opioid agonists, mixed agonist-antagonists and partial agonists
Antigout medications
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
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NSAIDs p. 613
Filip Vasiljević, MD
Ursula Florjanczyk, MScBMC
Sam Gillespie, BSc
Evan Debevec-McKenney
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are mainly used to treat inflammation, pain, and fever. These conditions are related to an increased production of pro-inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins.
NSAIDs work by decreasing the production of prostaglandins, thereby reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and reducing fever.
In order to understand how NSAIDs work, first we need to talk briefly about inflammation, which is the body’s response to a harmful stimulus, such as infection or injury.
So, during inflammation, your immune cells use an enzyme called phospholipase A2 to take membrane phospholipids and make a 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid, called arachidonic acid.
Arachidonic acid is a substrate for an enzyme called cyclooxygenase or COX.
The enzyme cyclooxygenase exists in two different isoforms: COX-1 and COX-2.
COX-1 is a constitutive enzyme, meaning that it’s always active, while on the other hand, COX-2 is an inducible enzyme, meaning that it must be turned on to function. This is usually triggered by immune cells and vascular endothelial cells during inflammation.
Both enzymes produce prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostacyclin (PGI2), which cause vasodilation and attract different immune cells to the area.
They also act on neurons that detect pain, called nociceptors, and make them more sensitive to stimuli by lowering their threshold for activation.
Finally, they stimulate the hypothalamus to increase the body temperature, causing fever.
Prostaglandin E2 also has other effects like causing uterine contractions, decreasing the secretion of acid, and increasing the production of protective mucus in the stomach.
So, in conditions such as inflammation, pain, or fever, NSAIDs can be used to inhibit cyclooxygenase and decrease the production of prostaglandins.
Depending on how they interact with these enzymes, NSAIDs are subdivided into 2 main groups: irreversible COX inhibitors, like aspirin; and reversible COX inhibitors, or non-aspirin NSAIDs.
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