Chapter 2: Pharmacologic Priniciples Flashcards
(27 cards)
Drug
Any chemical that affects the
physiologic processes of a living organism.
Pharmacology
Study or science of drugs.
Encompasses a variety of topics
Drug Names
Chemical name
* Describes the drug’s chemical composition and molecular structure
Generic name (nonproprietary name)
* Name given by the United States Adopted Names Council
* Always lowercase
* Must know (NCLEX)
Trade name (proprietary name)
* The drug has a registered trademark; use of the name is restricted by the drug’s patent owner (usually the manufacturer).
Drug Classification
Drug classifications
* Structure (ex. beta blocker)
* Subclass (ex. selective, nonselective)
* Therapeutic use (ex. antibiotic)
* Subclass (ex. penicillins)
Prototypical drugs: first drug in a class of drugs
Routes of Administration:
Enteral Route
The drug is absorbed into the systemic circulation through the oral or gastric mucosa or the small intestine.
* Oral
* Sublingual
* Buccal
* Recta
Routes of Administration:
Topicals
Skin (including transdermal patches)
* Eyes
* Ears
* Nose
* Lungs (inhalation)
Routes of Administration:
Parental Route
Intravenous (fastest delivery into the blood circulation)
* Intramuscular
* Subcutaneous
* Intradermal
* Intraarterial
* Intrathecal
* Intraarticular
Pharmacokinetics: Absorption
Movement of drug to bloodstream.
Main site of absorption is GI.
Factors affecting absorption: weight, age, route of medication, pH of GI
first pass effect:
large proportion of a drug is chemically changed into inactive metabolites by the liver.
Pharmacokinetics: Distribution
Transport of a drug by the bloodstream to its site of action.
Albumin is the most common blood protein and carries the majority of protein -bound drug molecules.
Pharmacokinetics: Metabolism
Also referred to as “biotransformation”
It is the breakdown of a drug.
Main site is the liver.
Pharmacokinetics: Excretion
- Elimination of drugs from the body
Main site of elimination is Kidney
Half-life
Half-life: time required for half (50%) of a given drug to be removed from the body
* Measures the rate at which the drug is eliminated from the body
* After approximately five half-lives, most drugs are considered to be
effectively removed from the body.
* Steady state
* Physiologic state in which the amount of drug removed via elimination is equal to amount of drug absorbed with each dose.
Pharmacodynamics
- The study of what the drug does to the body
- The mechanism of drug actions in living tissues
- Therapeutic effect
- Drug–receptor relationships
- Enzymes
- Nonselective Interactions
Pharmacotherapeutics
- The clinical use of drugs to prevent and treat diseases
- Defines principles of drug actions—the cellular processes that change in response to the presence of drug molecules
- Drugs are organized into pharmacologic classes.
- Drug interactions
- Additive effects (1 + 1 = 2)
- Synergistic effects (1 + 1 > 2)
- Antagonistic effects (1 + 1 < 2)
- Incompatibility
Tolerance
decreasing response to repeated drug doses
Dependence
physiologic or psychological need for a drug
Physical dependence
physiologic need for a drug to avoid physical withdrawal symptoms
Psychological dependence
also known as addiction and is the
obsessive desire for the euphoric effects of a drug
Adverse drug event (ADE)
Injuries resulting from unnecessary medication use. Such as polypharmacy (taking too much meds).
Adverse drug reactions
- Pharmacologic reaction
- Hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction
- Idiosyncratic reaction
- Drug interaction
Four main sources for drugs
- Plants
- Animals
- Minerals
- Laboratory synthesis
Toxicology
Science of adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.
Define Pharmacokinetics
the study of what the body does to the drug ( absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion).
Peak level vs Trough level
Peak level is the highest therapeutic level.
Trough level is the lowest blood level of a drug
