Terminologies in Introduction to Pharmacology Flashcards
(20 cards)
The science dealing with actions of drugs on the body.
Pharmacology
The first stage of pharmacokinetics: medications enter the body and travel from site of administration into the body’s circulation.
The science dealing with actions of drugs on the body.
The breakdown of a drug molecule via enzymes in the liver (primarily) or intestines (secondarily).
Metabolism
The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates drugs.
Pharmacokinetics
The study of how a person’s genetic make-up affects their response to medicines.
Pharmacogenetics
The study of how drugs act at target sites of action in the body.
Pharmacodynamics
The final stage of pharmacokinetics; the process whereby drug byproducts and metabolites are eliminated from the body.
Excretion
How a medication works at a cellular level within the body.
Mechanism of Action
The science of the preparation of drugs.
Pharmacy
As the dose of a drug increases, the response should also increase. The slope of the curve is characteristic of the particular drug-receptor interaction.
Dose-Response
A nearly impenetrable barricade that is built from a tightly woven mesh of capillaries cemented together to protect the brain from potentially dangerous substances such as poisons or viruses.
Blood-Brain Barrier
The second stage of pharmacokinetics; the process by which medication is distributed throughout the body.
Distribution
Effect of a drug, other than the desired effect, sometimes in an organ other than the target organ.
Side Effect
A quantitative measurement of the relative safety of a drug that compares the amount of drug that produces a therapeutic effect versus the amount of drug that produces a toxic effect. Medication with a large therapeutic index is safer than a medication with a small therapeutic index.
Therapeutic Index
A “selective” drug binds to a primary and predictable site creating one desired effect. A “non-selective” drug can bind to many different and unpredictable receptor sites with potential side effects.
Selectivity
The drug dose required to produce a specific intensity of effect.
Potency
An unintended and potentially dangerous pharmacological effect that occurs when a medication is administered correctly.
Adverse Effect
The presence of a drug in the blood stream after it is administered.
Bioavailability
The maximum effect of which the drug is capable.
Efficacy
This really covers any drug that is not administered
orally, and while the term is generally applied to injections and intravenous (IV)
lines, it can also cover other routes. Injection is an effective way of introducing
a drug quickly into a subcutaneous (under the skin) area.
Parenteral Administration
