Terminologies in Introduction to Pharmacology

Question 1

Selectivity
Non-Selective
Specific
Non-Specific

Answer 1

Selectivity - Selectivity refers to a drug’s ability to produce a particular effect preferentially and is related to the structural specificity of the drug binding to receptors.
Non-Selective - nonselective drugs affect many different tissues or organs. For example, atropine, a drug given to relax muscles in the digestive tract, may also relax muscles in the eyes and in the respiratory tract.
Specific - A remedy having a definite therapeutic action in relation to a particular disease or symptom, such as quinine in relation to malaria.
Non- Specific - Drugs that affect multiple receptor sites

Question 2

Bioavailability

Answer 2

Refers to the percentage of administered drug available for activity

Question 3

Prodrugs
Half-life

Answer 3

• Compound that is metabolized into an active pharmacologic substance
• Time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to be reduce by half

Question 4

Therapeutic Index

Answer 4

• Describes the relationship between the therapeutic dose of the drug and the toxic dose of a drug
• High TI has a wide safety margin = no need for routine serum drug level monitoring
• Low TI has a narrow safety margin = serum drug levels should be monitored

Question 5

Pharmacology

Answer 5

Study of drugs and their interaction with living things which encompasses the physical, chemical properties, biochemical and physiologic effects.

Question 6

Clinical Pharmacology

Answer 6

Study of drugs in human for patients and healthy volunteers

Question 7

Pharmacotherapeutics

Answer 7

The use of drugs to diagnose, prevent or treat disease.

Question 8

Drugs

Answer 8

Any chemical that can affect living processes

Question 9

Ideal Drugs

Answer 9

Such drug system which can cure any diseases instantaneously is called ideal drug or ideal medicine. (There’s no drug is ideal = all members of the health care team must exercise care.)

Question 10

Effectiveness, Safety, Reversible Action, Predictability, Ease of medication

Answer 10

Effectiveness - A drug that elicits the responses for which it is given.
Safety - A drug that cannot produce harmful effect even if administered in very high doses and for a very long time.
Reversible Action - A drug actions that subside within an appropriate time.
Predictability - A drug that we can know with certainty how a given patient will respond.

Question 11

Right to Appropriate Medical Care and Humane Treatment
Right to Informed Consent
Right to Privacy and Confidentiality
Right to Information
The Right to Choose Health Care Provider and Facility
Right to Self-Determination
Right to Religious Belief
Right to Medical Records

Answer 11

1. Right Drug.
   The first right of drug administration is to check and verify if it’s the right name and form. Beware of look-alike and sound-alike medication names. Misreading medication names that look similar is a common mistake. These look-alike medication names may also sound alike and can lead to errors associated with verbal prescriptions. Check out The Joint Commission’s list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs.
2. Right Patient.
   Ask the name of the client and check his/her ID band before giving the medication. Even if you know that patient’s name, you still need to ask just to verify.
3. Right Dose.
   Check the medication sheet and the doctor’s order before medicating. Be aware of the difference between an adult and a pediatric dose.
4. Right Route.
   Check the order if it’s oral, IV, SQ, IM, etc.

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5. Right Time and Frequency.
Check the order for when it would be given and when was the last time it was given.

6. Right Documentation.
   Make sure to write the time and any remarks on the chart correctly.
7. Right History and Assessment.
   Secure a copy of the client’s history of drug interactions and allergies.
8. Drug approach and Right to Refuse.
   Give the client enough autonomy to refuse the medication after thoroughly explaining the effects.
9. Right Drug-Drug Interaction and Evaluation.
   Review any medications previously given or the diet of the patient that can yield a bad interaction with the drug to be given. Check also the expiry date of the medication being given.
10. Right Education and Information.
    Provide enough knowledge to the patient about what drug he/she would be taking and what are the expected therapeutic and side effects.

Question 12

Therapeutic Index

Question 13

Chemical name of Medicine

Question 14

Generic name of Medicine

Question 15

Brand name of medicine

Question 16

Over-the-counter drug

Question 17

Agonist
Antagonist
Partial Agonist

Answer 17

Agonist –medication that can mimic the receptor activity regulated by endogenous compounds
Antagonist –medication that can block normal receptor activity regulated by endogenous compounds
Partial Agonist –limited affinity to receptor sites

Question 18

Pharmadynamics
Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Excretion

Answer 18

• Study of the movement of the drug throughout the body
  1. Absorption - the transportation of the unmetabolized drug from the site of administration to the body circulation system.
  2. Distribution - the reversible transfer of a drug between one compartment to another.
  3. Metabolism - describes the chemical reactions that change drugs into compounds which are easier to eliminate
  4. Excretion - is the removal of a medication from the body. Now this can be accomplished through metabolism, where the medication is broken down into inactive metabolites, or through excretion which is when the intact medication is transported out of the body.

Question 19

Oral
Sublingual/buccal
Vignal/Rectus
Intradermal/topical
Subcutaneous and Intramuscular
Intravenous

Answer 19

Oral - Many different medications are taken orally (by mouth). They come as solid tablets, capsules, chewable tablets or lozenges to be swallowed whole or sucked on, or as drinkable liquids such as drops, syrups or solutions.
Sublingual/buccal - Sublingual and buccal medication administration are two different ways of giving medication by mouth. Sublingual administration involves placing a drug under your tongue to dissolve and absorb into your blood through the tissue there. Buccal administration involves placing a drug between your gums and cheek, where it also dissolves and is absorbed into your blood. Both sublingual and buccal drugs come in tablets, films, or sprays.
Vignal/Rectus - Rectal medications are given for their local effects in the gastrointestinal system (e.g., laxatives) or their systemic effects (e.g., analgesics when oral route is contraindicated). Female patients may require vaginal suppositories to treat vaginal infections. Vaginal suppositories are larger and more oval than rectal suppositories, and are inserted with an applicator or by hand
Intradermal/topical - While all topical and transdermal compounds are applied to the skin, only the transdermal formulations are designed to penetrate through the skin layer and exert their effects on deeper or more distant tissues.
Subcutaneous and Intramuscular - often abbreviated IM, is the injection of a substance into a muscle. In medicine, it is one of several methods for parenteral administration of medications.
Intravenous - means “within a vein.” Most often it refers to giving medicines or fluids through a needle or tube inserted into a vein. This allows the medicine or fluid to enter your bloodstream right away.

Question 20

First Pass Effect

Answer 20

The first pass effect is a phenomenon in which a drug gets metabolized at a specific location in the body that results in a reduced concentration of the active drug upon reaching its site of action or the systemic circulation.