Principles; Nonopioid Analgesics - Week 1 Flashcards
(28 cards)
Why nurses study pharmacology.
- we are legally responsible for the drug we give
- monitor use of drugs & natural products
- responsible for teaching pt’s about drug safety
- intervene to increase benefits & reduce side effects
- communicate with other health professionals
Standard respiratory rate (RR)
10-12 per minute
Opioid overdose does what to your breathing?
slows it down significantly
Why take meds with a full glass of H2O?
- medication dissolves better
- better absorption –> compare it to a sponge soaking things up
Drug Interactions (4)
- Item A binds drug B in the GI tract and prevents absorption of drug B. (ex. cereal bran binding digoxin, iron, and calcium; anti-acids binding tetracycline abx. Solution: separate taking them by a couple hours)
- Item A changes the pH of the GI tract and affects absorption of the drug. (ex. direct binding on drug. avoidable? If pH change due to anti-acid, yes. if due to chronic important medication, then no)
- Item A decreases activity of GI enzymes that normally destroy drug B, increasing absorption of the drug. (ex. statin & channel blockers are made at higher doses because they usually don’t get absorbed well. if you drink grapejuice with meds, you could overdose because increased absorption.
- Item A causes diarrhea/emesis which decreased absorption of drug B. (ex. Drug with side effects, laxatives)
a drug’s chemical name describes …
the molecular structure of a drug.
Nurses usually don’t deal with this name form.
a drug’s generic name is also known as ….
non-proprietary name
- not owned by any company.
- the end of the generic name usually classifies the drug.
(ex. propanolol (Inderol) “-olol” means it’s a beta blocker (to increase BP) - by law you have to have generic name in addition to the brand name, not just brand name
a drug’s trade name is also known as …
brand name or proprietary name
- can be patented; patents last 20 years
how to you write generic and trade names of a drug?
are the ingredients required to be the same?
generic (Trade)
ex. meperidine (Demerol)
= By law, the active ingredient needs to be the same, but the fillers can be different. fillers can affect how the drug works though interactions though.
What does it mean and why is it important?
USP
United States Pharmacopeia
- not a government organization.
- back in 1820, physicians made their own medications. a group of people got together to write recipe book for drugs for consistency between physicians.
- today’s function: outlines test for purity, strength, consistency, and dissolution
What drug products are required to meet UPS standards
every prescription & OCT drug
Will you always see USP printed on the package?
No. Brand names don’t usually have. Many generic ones do have to increase credibility. But for sure all of them meet USP standards.
What does USP verified mean? Is it required?
It means that the dietary supplements have been tested and verified by USP. No it’s not required, only voluntary.
- they used to be able to say “Meets USP standards” but that just means it’s cleared. “UPS verified” is the best because it’s been tested for purity & proper functioning.
On what products should you look for the USP Verified symbol?
Dietary supplements
What does it mean and why is it important?
FDA
Food & Drug Administration
- government organization that approves drugs, enforces laws and standards set by USP
What does it mean and why is it important?
Drug Enforcement Administration
- federal organization that controls the manufacture & distribution of high risk drugs (drugs that can be addicting)
What happens to the pill after we swallow it?
- Pharmaceutical Phase
- Disintegration
- Dissolution - Pharmacokinetics
- Absorption
- Distribution
- Metabolism
- Excretion - Pharmacodynamics
- Therapeutic effects
- Undesirable responses
Pharmaceutical phase (the pill disintegrates and dissolves)
Mr. Tablet –> Mr. Drug Molecule
- Disintegration: pill is broken into pieces (liquid drugs skip this step)
- Dissolution: tiny molecules are formed from the broken drug pieces.
Pharmacokinetics
drug molecules are absorbed and move around the body
What the body does to Mr. Drug Molecule
- Absorption: GI –> Blood or IM –> Blood
- Distribution: Drug is moved around the body
- Metabolism: Body chemicals changes the drug
- Excretion: Eliminated as an active/inactive drug
Pharmacodynamics
(while the drug molecules are in the body, some of them act on the body to produce desirable and undesirable clinical effects)
What Mr. Drug Molecule does to the body
- Therapeutic effects: ex. Loratadine binds to histamine (H1) receptors to block the body’s histamine from binding –> no allergy symptoms.
- Undesirable responses/side effects: Loratadine binds to histamine receptors in the brain makes you drowsy. (Non-drowsy medication doesn’t cross the BBB as easily).
Pharmacokinetics (with focus on Absorption)
What characteristics allow a drug to cross cell membranes easily?
lipid soluble
non-polar
not ionized
Pharmacokinetics (with focus on Absorption)
What characteristics of drug molecules cause difficulty for drugs to cross the cell membrane?
polar
charged
ionized
Define “population”
The total number of people living in a specific graphic area (e.g. Town, city, state, region, nation, multinational region)
Define “population”
The total number of people living in a specific graphic area (e.g. Town, city, state, region, nation, multinational region)
