Question | Answer |
Pharmacokinetics | What the body does to the drug. |
4 Basic Processes involved in drug utilization in the body | (Determine the [drug] at its sites of action. 1) absorption 2) distribution 3) metabolism 4) excretion |
Absorption | Movement of drug from site of administration into the blood |
Distribution | Drug movement from the blood to the interstitial space of tissues then into cells |
Metabolism (Biotransformation) | Process of breaking down a drug |
Excretion | Movement of drugs outside of the body |
Blood-Brain Barrier | Presence of tight junctions between the cells in capillary walls of CNS means drugs must pass capillary cells not between them to get into CNS. (Also p-glycoprotein) |
Therapeutic Range | Lies between the MEC and the toxic concentration - Drugs with a wide therapeutic range are relatively easy to use safely. |
Half-Life | The time required for the amount of drug in the body to decline by 50%. Drugs with short 1/2-lives have short dosing intervals. |
Factors Affecting Drug Absorption (5) | 1) Rate of dissolution 2) Surface area available for absorption 3) Blood flow 4) Lipid solubility 5) pH partitioning |
What is an agonist? | A drug that brings out a specific action by binding with the appropriate receptors |
What is an antagonist? | A drug that inhibits a specific action by binding with a particular receptor |
Adverse Reaction | An undesirable response to a drug, varies from mild to fatal is known as what? |
A controlled substance. Class I-V | A drug with the potential for abuse and/or addiction. |
What is the major route of elimination? | Kidneys |
Synergism | Occurs when 2 drugs w/ different sites or mechanisms of action produce greater effects when taken together. |
What are side effects? | Often occur with usual therapeutic doses of drugs. Mild but annoying |
Teratogenic | Ability of substance to cause abnormal fetal development when taken by pregnant women. |
Enteral Drug | Directly into the GI tract ie: oral, NG, rectal |
Topical Drug | Is applied directly to the area where a reaction is desired. The resulting effect is often local. |
Parenteral Drug | Is applied to an area of the body other than the digestive tract. IM, SQ, IV, epidural |
generic name | The name the drug manufacturer uses for the drug. |
brand name/trade name | A manufacturer's proprietary name, or the name for the drug manufactured by one company for their medication. .capitalized |
chemical name | The name given for the atomic or molecular structure of a drug. |
3 Names Drugs use | 1. Chemical 2. Generic (nonproprietary name) 3. Brand or Trade name |
percutaneous | through topical (skin), sublingual(under the tongue), buccal (against the cheek) INH(breathing |
desired effect | The expected response of the medication |
nephrotoxic | Damage to the kidney |
hepatotoxic | Damage to the liver |
anaphylactic reaction | Life-threatening allergy |
adverse effect | More severe symptoms or problems that arise because of the medication |
Idiosyncratic response | Strange, unpredictable response to a medication |
Pregnancy categories | Classification of drugs according to their known level of risk to the fetus. A,B,C,D,X. |
Pregnancy category A | Many studies done and shows no increased risk of fetal abnormalities |
Pregnancy category X | Many studies done and show positive evidence of fetal abnormalities |
What is the main organ of metabolism? | Liver |
Place in order, from quickest to slowest absorption- PO, IM, SQ, IV | IV, SQ, IM, PO |
Incompatibility | When one drug interferes with the action of another drug. |