click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chapter 19
Chapter 19 Terms and definitions
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Absorption | The movement of a drug from its site of administration into the bloodstream. |
additive effect | The combined effect of more than one agent, which is equal to the sum of the effects of each drug taken alone. |
adverse reactions (adverse effects) | More severe symptoms or problems that develop due to the administration of a drug. |
Agonist | A drug that binds to and produces a functional change in a particular cell. |
anaphylactic reaction | A severe form of allergic reaction to a drug that is life threatening. The patient develops severe shortness of breath and may even have cardiac collapse. |
Antagonism | When two drugs act to decrease each other’s effects. |
Bioavailability | The term that indicates measurement of both the rate of drug absorption and the total amount of drug that reaches the systemic blood circulation from an administered dosage form. |
Biotransformation | Another name for metabolism. |
Conjugation | A joining; in unicellular organisms, a form of reproduction in which there is a temporary union in order to transfer genetic material; in biochemistry, the joining of a toxic substance with a natural body substance to form a detoxified product |
cytochrome P450 | A system of enzymes that plays a role in drug metabolism and contributes to drug interactions |
Diffusion | The process by which particles in a fluid move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, resulting in an even distribution of the particles in the fluid |
Distribution | The process by which drug molecules leave the bloodstream and enter the tissues of the body |
drug interaction | An interference of a drug with the effect of another drug, nutrient, or laboratory test. |
Excretion | The process of eliminating drugs from the body. |
first pass effect | The process in which a drug reaches the liver and is partly metabolized before becoming available to the body for systemic effects. |
Half-life | The time it takes for the plasma concentration of a drug to be reduced by 50%. |
Hypersensitivity reaction | A type of unpredictable reaction caused in some patients by drugs such as aspirin, penicillin, or sulfa products. This generally occurs when a patient has received a drug and his or her body has developed antibodies against it. |
Metabolism | The process whereby drugs are acted upon by enzymes in the body and are converted to metabolic derivatives. |
idiosyncratic reaction | A unique, strange, or unpredicted reaction to a drug. |
Pharmacodynamics | The study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs. It is also defined as the study of the mechanism of action of drugs. |
Pharmacokinetics | The study of the action of drugs within the body, including the mechanisms of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. |
Placebo | A simulated medication that contains no active ingredients. |
Polypharmacy | Meaning “many drugs”; refers to taking multiple medications for necessary or unnecessary reasons. |
Potentiation | Mechanism by which one drug prolongs the effects of another drug. |
Receptor | The recipient site on a cell for which a drug has an affinity |
side effects | Mild, but annoying, responses to a medication. |
specific affinity | The attraction a drug has for particular cells. |
Adverse reactions | More severe symptoms or problems that develop due to the administration of a drug. |
Synergism | The cooperative effect of two or more drugs given together to produce a stronger effect than that of either drug given alone. |