Drug safety: practice question

A Pharmacology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Pharmacology · Drug safety

Sample item

What does a narrow therapeutic index imply?

AMonitoring is never usefulBThe medicine has no adverse effectsCThe drug cannot interact with othersDSmall dosing errors can cause toxicity or loss of effect

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Small dosing errors can cause toxicity or loss of effect

Drugs with narrow therapeutic index have a small margin between effective and toxic concentrations, so dosing and monitoring require special care.

Option by option

A. Monitoring is never useful
Monitoring is often especially valuable.
B. The medicine has no adverse effects
All drugs can have adverse effects.
C. The drug cannot interact with others
Interactions can still occur.
D. Small dosing errors can cause toxicity or loss of effect (correct)
Correct: therapeutic and toxic concentrations are close.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Pharmacology question

What is the answer to this Pharmacology question?

The best answer is D, Small dosing errors can cause toxicity or loss of effect. Drugs with narrow therapeutic index have a small margin between effective and toxic concentrations, so dosing and monitoring require special care.

Why is "Monitoring is never useful" not the answer?

Monitoring is often especially valuable.

Why is "The medicine has no adverse effects" not the answer?

All drugs can have adverse effects.

Why is "The drug cannot interact with others" not the answer?

Interactions can still occur.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Drug safety in Pharmacology. The correct option holds because: Correct: therapeutic and toxic concentrations are close.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Drug safety?

Learn drugs as classes, then the exception in each class that an examiner would pick. Then use the flashcards and the other Pharmacology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.