Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Pharmacology > Intro to Clinical Pharmacology > Flashcards

Intro to Clinical Pharmacology Flashcards

(62 cards)

Start Studying
0
Q

Pharmacology

A

The study of drugs and their interaction in living systems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

Drug

A

Any chemical that can affect living processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Clinical pharmacology

A

Study of drugs in humans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Therapeutics

A

Use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, and treat disease or to prevent pregnancy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Properties of an Ideal Drug

A
  • Effectiveness: elicit the responses for which it is given
  • Safety: drug cannot produce harmful effects
  • Selectivity: elicits only the response for which it is given
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Factors that determine the intensity of drug responses

A

Administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, sources of individual variation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Pharmacokinetics

A

Impact of body on the drugs; absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, time course of drug responses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Application of pharmacokinetics in therapeutics

A

By applying knowledge of pharmacokinetics to drug therapy, we can help maximize beneficial effects and minimize harm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Absorption

A

Movement of a drug from its site of administration into the blood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Rate of absorption

A

Determines how soon effects will begin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Amount of absorption

A

Helps determine how intense the effects will be

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Factors affecting drug absorption

A

Rate of dissolution, surface area, blood flow, lipid solubility, pH partitioning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Distribution

A

Movement of drugs throughout the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How is drug distribution determined? (3 factors)

A
  • Blood flow to tissues
  • Exiting the vascular system
  • Entering cells
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Blood Flow to Tissues

A
  • Drugs are carried by the blood to tissues and organs of the body
  • Blood flow determines rate of delivery
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Abscesses and tumors (reg. blood flow to tissues)

A
  • Low regional blood flow impacts therapy
  • Pus-filled pockets, not internal blood vessels
  • Solid tumors have limited blood supply
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)

A

Tight junction between the cells that compose the walls of most capillaries in the CNS
-Drugs must be able to pass through cells of the capillary wall; only drugs that are lipid soluble or have a transport system can cross the BBB to a significant degree

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Placental Drug Transfer

A

Membranes of the placenta do NOT constitute an absolute barrier to the passage of drugs; movement determined in the same way as other membranes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Risk with placental drug transfer

A

Birth defects: mental retardation, gross malformations, low birth weight; mother’s use of habitual opioids: birth of drug-dependent baby

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Protein Binding

A

Drugs can form reversible bonds with various proteins; Plasma albumin is the most abundant and important > large molecule that always remains in the bloodstream; impacts drug distribution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Entering cells

A
  • Some drugs must enter cells to reach the side of action
  • Most drugs must enter cells to undergo metabolism and excretion
  • Many drugs produce their effects by binding with receptors on the external surface of the cell membrane > do not need to cross the cell membrane to act
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Drug Metabolism

A

Biotransformation; the enzymatic alteration of drug structure > most often takes place in the liver

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

P450 System

A

Most drug metabolism that takes place in the liver is performed by the hepatic microsomal enzyme system; metabolism doesn’t always result in a smaller molecule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Special Considerations in Drug Metabolism

A

Age, induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes, first-pass effect, nutritional status, competition between drugs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Excretion
Removal of drugs from the body; drugs and their metabolites can exit the body through urine, sweat, saliva, breast milk, or expired air
25
Renal routes of drug excretion
Glomerular filtration, passive tubular reabsorption, active tubular secretion (kidneys)
26
Factors that modify renal drug exretion
pH-dependent ionization, competition for active tubular transport, age
27
Nonrenal routes of drug excretion
Breast milk, bile, lungs (especially anesthesia), sweat/saliva
28
Pharmacodynamics
Study of biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs and the molecular mechanisms by which those effects are produced; study of what drugs do to the body and how they do it
29
Sources of individual variation
``` Physiologic variables (age, gender, weight) Pathologic variables (diminished renal and liver function) Genetic variables (can alter drug metabolism) Drug interactions (no two patients alike) ```
30
Half life
Time required for the amount of drug in the body to decrease by 50%; determines the dosing interval
31
Controlled Substance Act (Landmark Drug Legislation)
Established categories into which controlled substances are placed; Schedule I-V
32
Schedule I drugs
No accepted use in US and have high potential for addiction (ie. heroin, LSD, cigarette marijuana)
33
Schedule II drugs
Accepted medical use, high abuse potential; written prescription needed/no refills allowed (ie. dilaudid, cocaine, dura morph, codeine)
34
Schedule III drugs
Medical use, less abuse potential (ie. marinol, vicodin)
35
Schedule IV drugs
Phenobaritol, ambien, lorazepam
36
Schedule V drugs
Lomotil, robitussin AC (codeine)
37
New Drug Development
Pre-clinical testing (animal testing): toxicity, pharmacokinetics, useful effects Clinical testing (2-10 years) -Phase I: healthy volunteers (check toxicity) -Phase II/III: patients (on sick patients, adverse effects) -Phase IV: Aftermarket surveillance (once drug has been approved)
38
Drug Names
Chemical, generic (nonproprietary), trade (brand)
39
Consequences of drug-drug interactions
Intensified effects, increased therapeutic effects, increased adverse effects
40
Basic mechanisms of drug-drug interactions
Direct chemical or physical interaction; pharmacokinetic interactions: altered absorption, altered distribution, altered metabolism, altered renal excretion, interactions that involve P-glycoprotein
41
Ways to reduce medication errors
Replace handwritten medication orders with a computerized order entry system; have a senior clinical pharmacist accompany physicians on rounds; use a bar-code system
42
Individual variation in drug responses
Gender, race, failure to take medicine as prescribed, drug interaction, diet
43
Efficacy
Maximum effect that a drug can produce, regardless of dose
44
Potency
Amount of a drug tat is needed to produce a given effect
45
Drugs
Chemicals that produce effects by interacting with other chemicals
46
Receptors
Special chemicals in the body that most drugs interact with to produce effects
47
Important properties of receptors
- Receptors are normal points of control of physiologic processes - Under physiologic conditions, receptor function is regulated by molecules supplied by the body - Drugs can only mimic or block the body's own regulatory molecules - Drugs cannot give cells new functions
48
Agonists
Molecules that activate receptors
49
Antagonists
Preventing receptor activation; noncompetitive and competitive
50
Partial agonists
Agonists that only have a moderate intrinsic activity; maximal effect that a partial agonist can produce is less than that of a full agonist. Can act as antagonists as well as agonists
51
Noncompetitive antagonists
Bind irreversibly to receptors, reduce the maximal response that an agonist can elicit, impact not permanent
52
Competitive antagonists
Compete with agonists for receptor binding, bind reversibly to receptors; equal affinity: receptor occupied by whichever agent is present in the highest concentration
53
Interpatient variability in drug responses
Initial dose of a drug is necessarily an approximation, subsequent doses must be "fine tuned" based on the patient's response
54
ED50
Effective dose in 50% of the population tested
55
LD50
Average lethal dose to 50% of the animals treated
56
Therapeutic Index
Measure of drug's safety; ratio of drug's LD50 to its ED50. Higher the therapeutic index, the safer the drug; lower the therapeutic index, less safe the drug
57
Drug-drug interations
Interactions occur whenever a patient takes more than one drug; some are intended and others are undesired
58
Consequences of drug-drug interactions
Intensification of effects (increased therapeutic/adverse effects), reduction of effects, creation of a unique response
59
Clinical significance of drug-drug interactions
- Potential to significantly impact the outcome of therapy - Responses may be increased or reduced - Risk for serious drug interaction is directly proportionate to the number of drugs a patient is taking - Interactions are especially important in drugs w/ low therapeutic index - Many interactions are yet to be identified
60
Grapefruit juice effect
Inhibits metabolism of certain drugs; raises the drugs' blood levels
61
Timing of drug administration
Some drugs are better tolerated on an empty stomach, others should be taken with food esp. for nausea

Pharmacology (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions