Hi, I am Cathy, with Level Up RN. In this video, I'm going to continue my coverage of
reproductive system medications. Specifically, I'll be covering androgens, BPH medications,
and medications for erectile dysfunction. If you have our pharmacology second edition flashcards,
be sure to pull those out so you can follow along with me. At the end of the video, I'm
going to provide you guys a little quiz, a little knowledge check to test your understanding of some
of the key points I'll be covering in this video. So definitely stay tuned for that. First up,
we have testosterone, which is an androgen. It is used in the treatment of delayed puberty in boys,
as well as hypogonadism. It could also be used for postmenopausal breast cancer. Testosterone
is contraindicated in a patient with prostate cancer. And we also need to keep in mind that this
medication has a high abuse potential as well. In terms of side effects, testosterone has a lot of
side effects with use. So this includes edema, acne, liver dysfunction, polycythemia, which
is where your body produces too many red blood cells, premature epiphyseal closure. In women,
it can cause deepening of the voice, baldness, and unusual hair growth, which is something hirsutism.
So with hirsutism, the female may have hair growth on the face, or chest, or back.
Next, let's talk about some medications that are used for benign prosthetic hyperplasia or BPH.
If you recall, BPH is where we have an enlarged prostate, which puts pressure on the urethra
which runs through the prostate, so it causes urinary symptoms. So there are two different
classes of medications I'm going to cover that are used to treat BPH. One is an androgen inhibitor,
which is finasteride. So finasteride is used to treat not only BPH, but baldness as well.
The mode of action of this medication is that it inhibits five alpha reductase, which is an enzyme,
and this prevents conversion of testosterone. And then this in turn reduces the size of the
prostate and also increases hair growth. So side effects of finasteride can include
erectile dysfunction as well as gynecomastia, which is the development of breast tissue in men.
So our little cool chicken hint here for remembering this medication is finasteride,
think of checking out a guy in a sports car. So you're checking out his fine ride and
you're thinking to yourself, "Yeah, he has a fine ride, but he is also bald with BPH."
So got away those things. Again, this hint is just to help you remember
the name of this medication and what it's for. I totally don't have a thing against guys with
baldness or BPH for that matter. I'm just looking for anything to help you guys remember all of
these medications. So hopefully that was helpful. Another medication class used in the treatment of
BPH are peripherally acting antiadrenergics, and medications that fall within this class include
tamsulosin and doxazosin, and they're both in that osin. We would use these medications to treat BPH
as well as baldness, and doxazosin is also used in the treatment of hypertension. The
mode of action of this medication class is that it antagonizes alpha one receptors, which results
in relaxation of the smooth muscles in the prostate, which helps to improve urine flow.
It also causes vasodilation. So a key side effect with this medication class is
hypotension. So we're definitely going to want to monitor our patients blood pressure
during therapy. Other side effects include dizziness, headache, and issues with ejaculation.
The last medication class that I'm going to cover in this video are phosphodiesterase type five
inhibitors, and medications that fall within this class include sildenafil and tadalafil.
So these both end in fil. We would use these medications for erectile dysfunction,
and they work by enhancing the effect of nitric oxide that is released during sexual stimulation.
And this, in turn, increases blood flow to the corpus cavernosum in the penis.
Side effects include priapism, which is a prolonged erection. In addition, this medication
can cause an increased risk for myocardial infarctions. So a key teaching you need to
provide your patient is that they should not take this medication with any other nitrates, including
nitroglycerin, as this can increase their risk for having an MI. Also, we want to use this medication
cautiously in men with cardiovascular disease. So our cool chicken hint for remembering these
medications is that sildenafil will help you fill out down there. So I probably should have warned
you that this was a PG-13 hint ahead of time, but it's out there now, and I hope it was helpful.
All right, time for quiz. I have three questions for you.
First question, finasteride is used to treat what disorder?
If you said BPH, you're correct. It's also used to treat baldness, but primarily BPH.
Second question, what erectile dysfunction medication causes an increased risk for an MI?
Answer, sildenafil or tadalafil. So any of the phosphodiesterase type five inhibitors. Question
number three, what key teaching do you need to provide a patient who is taking sildenafil?
The answer is you need to advise your patient to not take any other nitrates at the same time. So
this includes nitroglycerin as this could increase their risk for having an MI.
Okay. I hope this video has been helpful, and I hope you like these quiz questions.
If this has helped you, definitely leave me a comment. I love to hear from students and
nurses who watch my videos. Also, if you have another little trick or mnemonic for remembering
some of these drugs, definitely share those in the comments as well so everyone can benefit
from your ideas. Thank you so much for watching. I invite you to subscribe to our channel and share
a link with your classmates and friends in nursing school. If you found value in this video, be sure
and hit the like button, and leave a comment and let us know what you found particularly helpful.