Drug abuse MCQs With Answer

Drug abuse MCQs With Answer

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Drug abuse MCQs With Answer is a focused study resource for B.Pharm students covering pharmacology, mechanisms of dependence, withdrawal syndromes, treatment strategies, and harm reduction. This collection emphasizes key concepts: substance abuse, addiction, tolerance, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, opioid and benzodiazepine management, psychostimulants, alcohol pharmacotherapy, and legal classifications. Questions integrate clinical signs, antidotes, maintenance therapies (methadone, buprenorphine), and diagnostic markers to build practical competence for pharmacists in patient counseling and safe medication use. Each MCQ includes concise options and clear answers to reinforce learning and exam readiness. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What best defines “drug abuse” in a clinical context?

  • Pattern of harmful use causing social, occupational, or health problems
  • Any use of prescription medication
  • Taking drugs exclusively for medical indications
  • Use of herbal supplements

Correct Answer: Pattern of harmful use causing social, occupational, or health problems

Q2. Which diagnostic term in DSM-5 replaced the separate categories of abuse and dependence?

  • Substance Use Disorder (SUD) combining abuse and dependence
  • Substance Abuse Syndrome only
  • Dependence Disorder only
  • Drug Habit Disorder

Correct Answer: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) combining abuse and dependence

Q3. The cardinal life-threatening feature of opioid overdose is:

  • Respiratory depression
  • Tachycardia
  • Hyperthermia
  • Severe diarrhea

Correct Answer: Respiratory depression

Q4. Naloxone reverses opioid effects by acting as a:

  • Opioid receptor antagonist
  • Opioid receptor agonist
  • GABA-A receptor agonist
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitor

Correct Answer: Opioid receptor antagonist

Q5. Abrupt cessation of long-term benzodiazepines can cause which serious complication?

  • Seizures
  • Bradycardia
  • Hyperglycemia
  • Ototoxicity

Correct Answer: Seizures

Q6. Methadone maintenance therapy is best described as:

  • Opioid agonist maintenance therapy
  • Partial opioid antagonist therapy
  • Non-opioid symptomatic care
  • Immediate opioid detoxification agent

Correct Answer: Opioid agonist maintenance therapy

Q7. Bupropion aids smoking cessation primarily through:

  • Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibition
  • Opioid receptor antagonism
  • GABA modulation
  • Acetylcholinesterase inhibition

Correct Answer: Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibition

Q8. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is known as:

  • Delirium tremens
  • Simple tremor
  • Alcohol hangover
  • Fatty liver

Correct Answer: Delirium tremens

Q9. Disulfiram deters alcohol use by inhibiting which enzyme?

  • Aldehyde dehydrogenase
  • Alcohol dehydrogenase
  • CYP3A4
  • Monoamine oxidase

Correct Answer: Aldehyde dehydrogenase

Q10. Chronic heavy alcohol consumption commonly causes a deficiency of which vitamin?

  • Thiamine (vitamin B1)
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin B12

Correct Answer: Thiamine (vitamin B1)

Q11. Cocaine produces stimulant effects primarily by:

  • Blocking dopamine reuptake transporter
  • Inhibiting acetylcholinesterase
  • Activating GABA receptors
  • Antagonizing NMDA receptors

Correct Answer: Blocking dopamine reuptake transporter

Q12. Amphetamines increase synaptic monoamines mainly by:

  • Promoting release and reversing monoamine transporters
  • Irreversibly inhibiting monoamine oxidase
  • Blocking postsynaptic receptors
  • Acting as pure dopamine receptor antagonists

Correct Answer: Promoting release and reversing monoamine transporters

Q13. The primary psychoactive component of cannabis is:

  • Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
  • Cannabidiol (CBD)
  • Psilocybin
  • Mescaline

Correct Answer: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Q14. Which hallucinogen is a potent 5-HT2A receptor agonist?

  • LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
  • Morphine
  • Cocaine
  • Diazepam

Correct Answer: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)

Q15. Which drug schedule typically identifies substances with high abuse potential and no accepted medical use?

  • Schedule I
  • Schedule II
  • Schedule IV
  • Schedule V

Correct Answer: Schedule I

Q16. For the fastest reversal of opioid toxicity in an emergency, naloxone should be given by which route?

  • Intravenous administration
  • Oral administration
  • Topical administration
  • Subcutaneous depot injection

Correct Answer: Intravenous administration

Q17. Buprenorphine is pharmacologically classified as a:

  • Partial mu-opioid receptor agonist
  • Full mu-opioid receptor agonist
  • Pure opioid antagonist
  • Benzodiazepine analog

Correct Answer: Partial mu-opioid receptor agonist

Q18. Recurrent dosing of naloxone may be necessary because:

  • Naloxone has a shorter duration of action than some opioids
  • Naloxone causes long-term receptor upregulation
  • It permanently inactivates opioid receptors
  • It induces rapid opioid synthesis

Correct Answer: Naloxone has a shorter duration of action than some opioids

Q19. Tolerance to benzodiazepines is primarily due to changes in:

  • GABA-A receptor function and number
  • Serotonin synthesis
  • Insulin sensitivity
  • Renal clearance

Correct Answer: GABA-A receptor function and number

Q20. Acamprosate helps prevent alcohol relapse by modulating which systems?

  • NMDA glutamate and GABA neurotransmission
  • Opioid receptors exclusively
  • Serotonin reuptake only
  • Cholinergic transmission only

Correct Answer: NMDA glutamate and GABA neurotransmission

Q21. A major acute medical risk of stimulant (amphetamine/cocaine) abuse is:

  • Cardiovascular events such as myocardial ischemia and arrhythmia
  • Progressive muscle paralysis
  • Renal tubular acidosis
  • Primary hypothyroidism

Correct Answer: Cardiovascular events such as myocardial ischemia and arrhythmia

Q22. Which laboratory marker is commonly elevated in chronic heavy alcohol use?

  • Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)
  • Creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
  • Hemoglobin A1c

Correct Answer: Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)

Q23. The specific antidote for benzodiazepine overdose is:

  • Flumazenil
  • Naloxone
  • Physostigmine
  • Atropine

Correct Answer: Flumazenil

Q24. Which medication is a partial opioid agonist used in office-based opioid dependence treatment?

  • Buprenorphine
  • Methadone
  • Naltrexone
  • Disulfiram

Correct Answer: Buprenorphine

Q25. Varenicline treats nicotine dependence by acting as a:

  • Partial agonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
  • Full agonist at opioid receptors
  • MAO-B inhibitor
  • GABA-B receptor blocker

Correct Answer: Partial agonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Q26. Which test is commonly used for recent cannabis use screening?

  • Urine immunoassay for THC metabolites (THC-COOH)
  • Serum glucose measurement
  • Hair microscopy for iron
  • Salivary cortisol assay

Correct Answer: Urine immunoassay for THC metabolites (THC-COOH)

Q27. Pharmacologic tolerance is best described as:

  • A reduced response to the same dose of a drug over time
  • An allergic reaction to a medication
  • Immediate therapeutic success
  • Increased renal excretion only

Correct Answer: A reduced response to the same dose of a drug over time

Q28. A classic sign of opioid intoxication is:

  • Pinpoint pupils (miosis)
  • Dilated pupils (mydriasis)
  • Photosensitivity
  • Exophthalmos

Correct Answer: Pinpoint pupils (miosis)

Q29. Which medication is an opioid antagonist used to reduce alcohol craving and relapse?

  • Naltrexone
  • Morphine
  • Benzhexol
  • Phenobarbital

Correct Answer: Naltrexone

Q30. A key harm-reduction strategy to reduce infectious disease transmission among people who inject drugs is:

  • Needle and syringe exchange programs
  • Mandatory incarceration
  • Prohibition of sterile supplies
  • Encouraging shared syringes

Correct Answer: Needle and syringe exchange programs

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