UNIT 1 Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is the definition of pharmacology?
The study of drugs or the science of drugs
Pharmacology involves studying interactions of drugs with organisms at various levels.
What does ‘pharmakon’ mean?
Active Principle / Active Ingredients or equivalent to drug or medicine
What is pharmacokinetics?
The process of drug movement to achieve drug action
Involves four processes: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism (Biotransformation), Excretion.
What are the three phases for drug actions to occur?
- Pharmaceutic
- Pharmacokinetic
- Pharmacodynamics
What is the first phase of drug action?
Pharmaceutic
What is bioavailability?
The percentage of the administered drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation
What factors influence drug distribution?
Blood flow, affinity to the tissue, and protein binding effect
What is the primary site for drug metabolism?
Liver
What does the term ‘half-life’ (t 1/2) refer to?
The time it takes for half the drug to be eliminated
What is pharmacodynamics?
The drug’s mechanism of action
What is the therapeutic index?
Estimates the margin of safety of a drug
What is a receptor?
Specialized target macromolecules present on the cell surface or intracellularly
What happens when a drug binds to a receptor?
It can activate the receptor (Agonist) or block the receptor (Antagonist)
What does toxicology study?
The adverse effects of xenobiotics
What is a toxin?
A poison of natural (biological) origin
What are common sources of poisons?
- Domestic sources (cleaning agents, etc.)
- Agricultural sources (insecticides, etc.)
- Industrial sources
- Commercial sources
- Drug and medicine misuse
- Food and drink contamination
- Miscellaneous sources (snake bites, etc.)
Fill in the blank: Poisons are drugs that have almost exclusively _______ effects.
harmful
True or False: Every drug is a medicine but every medicine is not a drug.
True
What is the primary effect of a drug?
Desirable
What is the secondary effect of a drug?
Can be desirable or undesirable
What does the term ‘hazard’ refer to?
The likelihood that injury will occur in a given situation or setting
