Question of the day- 2

Q- A 24-year-old medical student visits her physician for a refill on her treatment of depression. She is prescribed imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant. During the discussion of the treatment, her physician mentions that this drug mainly undergoes first-pass hepatic metabolism.

The prescribed drug is most likely administered by which route?

A- Intramuscular

B- Intravenous

C- Oral

D- Subcutaneous

E- Sublingual

Answer

First-pass hepatic metabolism refers to the process where a drug is significantly metabolized in the liver before it reaches the systemic circulation. This process is most commonly associated with drugs that are administered orally. When a drug is taken by mouth, it is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and then passes through the liver via the portal vein. During this passage, the drug can be metabolized by liver enzymes, which can reduce the amount of active drug that enters the systemic circulation.

Other routes like intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous, or sublingual administration generally bypass or minimize first-pass metabolism, leading to more direct absorption into the systemic circulation.

The correct answer is C

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