Pharmacology, Drug Class, and Body Systems Flashcards
(43 cards)
The study of the movement of drugs through the body
Pharmacokinetics (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion)
The study of the effects of drugs’ actions on
Pharmacodynamics
Terms that are named for the person who discovered the illness or procedure?
Eponyms
Error-prone abbreviation
U, ug, QD, Hs, QOD, SC or SQ
Error-prone symbols
Trailing zeros and naked decimals
Trailing zeros
Medication written as 5.0 mg can be easily misinterpreted as 50 mg.
The recommendation, in this case, is to write the medication dose as 5 mg.
Naked decimals
Medication written as .5 mg can be easily misinterpreted as 5 mg if the decimal is unclear.
Instead, the dose should be written as 0.5 mg.
Drug Nomenclature
Chemical name, generic name, brand name.
The FDA defines drugs as these items:
. A substance recognized by an official
pharmacopeia or formulary
. A substance intended for use in the
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or
prevention of disease
. A substance (other than food) intended
to affect the structure or any function of
the body
Chemical Name
Long scientific name that represents a drug’s
molecular structure.
Generic Name
Nonproprietary name of the drug that isn’t
protected by patent or trademark.
Brand Name
Name given by a manufacturer that holds
proprietary ownership, or patent, of the drug.
Dosage Forms
Oral, parenteral, Topical, other
Therapeutic Equivalence
when two drugs have the same clinical effect.
Bioequivalent
both drugs are equally effective and safe, and are equally absorbed when taken in the body.
The Orange Book
The FDA keeps a list of all therapeutic equivalents in a book called the Orange Book.
Pharmaceutical Alternatives
they have the same active ingredient, but are different strengths or dosage forms.
Therapeutic Interchange
occurs when a patient’s drug is substituted with a drug that has a different chemical makeup but the same result.
Before prescribing drugs, a physician must know which of
the following aspects that relate to the medicine?
What will the drug do to the body?
Will the drug have any side effects?
What will the body do with the drug?
How much of the drug is required by the body?
Pharmaceutics
The specific dosage form of a medication is designed to achieve
maximum benefit and to avoid side effects.
Therapeutics
Drugs have effects,
which lead to treatment
of disease.
Bioavailability
Only a portion of the drug
enters the bloodstream and
affects the body.
Passive Diffusion
Movement of drug molecules from an area of high
concentration of the drug to an area of low concentration
Doesn’t require energy
Example: Respiratory gases like oxygen
Facilitated Diffusion
Uses special carrier protein molecules to move drugs
across the membrane
Does not require energy
Example: Glucose
