NURS 3242 Pharmacology Review Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering foundational pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, antihypertensives, heart failure drugs, and anticoagulants.

Black Box Warning

An FDA boxed warning representing the most prominent prescription-drug labeling warning for serious or potentially life-threatening risks.

Chemical Name

A drug name that describes its precise molecular structure.

Generic Name

The standardized nonproprietary name assigned to a drug (e.g., diazepam).

Trade Name

The brand name given to a drug by its manufacturer (e.g., Valium).

Dependence

Physiologic adaptation to a medication that sometimes results in withdrawal symptoms when the substance is stopped.

Addiction

Compulsive substance use despite harm, characterized by impaired control.

Withdrawal

Symptoms that occur after reducing or stopping a substance to which the body has physiologically adapted.

Controlled Substance

A drug regulated under controlled-substance laws due to its potential for misuse and dependence.

Pharmacokinetics

The process describing drug movement throughout the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Absorption

The movement of a drug from its administration site across membranes into circulating fluids.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP450)

An enzyme system primarily located in the liver that participates in drug metabolism and biotransformation.

Protein Binding

The reversible binding of drug molecules to plasma proteins such as albumin; only unbound (free) drug is available to cross membranes and produce target actions.

Loading Dose

An initial larger dose given to reach a therapeutic drug concentration in plasma more quickly.

Maintenance Dose

A repeated dose given to keep plasma drug concentration within the therapeutic range as elimination proceeds.

Half-life

The time required for the plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by 50%.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of a drug's actions and therapeutic or toxic effects on the body, usually through binding to receptors.

$\text{ED}_{50}$ (Median Effective Dose)

The dose required to produce a specified therapeutic response in 50% of a tested population.

$\text{LD}_{50}$ (Median Lethal Dose)

The dose that proves lethal to 50% of an experimental animal group in preclinical testing.

$\text{TD}_{50}$ (Median Toxic Dose)

The dose required to produce a specified toxic effect in 50% of a studied group.

Therapeutic Index (TI)

A measurement of drug safety calculated as $\text{TI} = \frac{\text{LD}_{50}}{\text{ED}_{50}}$, where a lower index indicates a narrower margin of safety.

Peak Level

The highest plasma concentration reached by a drug following a given dose.

Trough Level

The lowest plasma concentration of a drug, usually sampled immediately prior to the administration of the next dose.

Agonist

A drug that binds to and activates a receptor to produce a biological response similar to an endogenous messenger.

Antagonist

A drug that occupies a receptor site and blocks endogenous messengers or agonists from activating it.

Angioedema

A serious side effect marked by sudden swelling of the lips, tongue, face, or airway that can compromise breathing, commonly associated with ACE inhibitors.

Agranulocytosis

A marked reduction in granulocytes/neutrophils that dramatically increases infection risk, heralded by symptoms such as fever and sore throat.

Digoxin

A positive inotropic heart failure drug that inhibits myocardial $\text{Na}^+/\text{K}^+\text{-ATPase}$, increasing intracellular calcium to enhance contractility while slowing cardiac conduction.

Digoxin Immune Fab (Digibind)

An antidote product indicated for life-threatening digoxin toxicity.