pharm quiz 1

Drug

chemical that can affect a living process

Pharmacology

the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems

Clinical pharmacology

study of drugs in humans

Therapeutics

use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease/prevent pregnancy

Effectiveness

does it elicit the response for which it is given

Selectivity

causes only the response for which it is given

Reversible action

subside after a certain amount of time

Predictability

how will patient respond

Chemical stability

shelf life

Pharmacokinetics

extend of movement depends on the ability of drugs to pass to and from the major spaces of the body

Absorption

movement of a drug from the site of administration into the blood

Bioavailability

amount of active drug that reaches the systemic circulation from its site of administration

Distribution

movement of drugs throughout the body

Metabolism

enzymatic alteration of drug structure, mainly in the liver by the cytochrome P450 system

Excretion

removal of drugs from the body

Pharmacodynamics

the study of biochemical and physiological actions of drugs and the molecular mechanisms by which those effects are produced

Plasma drug levels

predictive of therapeutic and toxic responses

Minimum effective concentration (MEC)

plasma drug level at which therapeutic effects will occur

Toxic concentration

level at which toxic effects occur

Therapeutic range

falls between the MEC and toxic concentration, depends on the drug

Drug half life

time required for the drug in the body to decrease by half

Plateau

steady level of drug has been achieved (drug eliminated \= dose administered)

Peak

highest level of drug

Trough

lowest level of drug

Loading doses

used when plateau must be achieved quickly

Maintenance

smaller doses used when plateau is achieved

Graded response

patient response gets more intense with increased dosing

Max efficacy

largest effect a drug can produce

Potency

amount of drug given to elicit an effect (higher potency \= less drug for big response)

Drug receptors

chemical sites in the body at which the drug interacts

Affinity

strength of attraction between a drug and its receptor

Intrinsic activity

ability of a drug to activate a receptor upon binding

Agonists

activate receptors (high affinity/intrinsic activity) and mimic the action of endogenous regulators

Partial agonist

moderate intrinsic activity, less effect than a full agonist

Antagonists

prevent receptor activity (high affinity/NO intrinsic activity) and block the actions of endogenous molecules

Noncompetitive antagonist

bind irreversibly ot receptors, decrease available receptors

Competitive antagonist

receptor blockade by competing with agonists, higher concentration wins if equal affinity

Desensitization

cell becomes less responsive due to continuous exposure to agonist

Hypersensitivity

continuous exposure of cell receptors to antagonist

Therapeutic index

ratio between average effective dose and average lethal dose

Tolerance

decreased responsiveness to a drug as a result of repeated drug administration

Pharmacodynamic tolerance

long term administration, adaptive processes occur

Metabolic tolerance

accelerated drug metabolism caused by drug interactions

Tachyphylaxis

form of tolerance, reduction in drug response is caused by repeated doses within hours

Pharmacogenetics

study of genetically inherited conditions that affect drug interactions

Intensification/potentiative

one drug intensifies the other

Reduction/inhibitory

one drug reduces the other

Side effect

minor effect that is nearly unavoidable (such as nausea)

Toxicity

dosage exceeds the amount the body can eliminate

Anaphylaxis

most serious reaction, medical emergency, systemic that closes airways and causes swelling

Idiosyncratic

abnormal/unusual response

Paradoxical

opposite of intended

Iatrogenic

disease that occurs as result of drugs

Physical dependence

state in which the body has adapted to prolonged exposure so that abstinence syndrome results if discontinued

Carcinogenic

causes cancer

Teratogenic

causes birth defects

Neurotoxicity

brain sensitive to small amounts of substances

Hepatotoxicity

liver is susceptible to toxicants as it is the main site of metabolism

Nephrotoxicity

highly susceptible because high vascularization, usually acute tubular necrosis

Immunotoxicity

immunosuppression or destruction of components

Cardiotoxicity

irregularity of rhythms and conduction, heart damage, depression of function

Ototoxicity

affects cranial nerve VIII, auditory damage on structures of the ear like the cochlea

Levothyroxine

synthetic T

Liothyronine

synthetic T3

Liotrix

synthetic T4 AND T3

Armour thyroid

T4, T3, and iodine