Pharmacology (CMPA411) Prelims Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core pharmacology concepts, drug classifications, mechanisms of action, and pediatric/medication dosage formulas.

Pharmacodynamics

Study of the mechanisms of action of drugs within the body and how drugs produce their effects in the body.

Pharmacogenetics

Study of drug reactions in the body that are unanticipated or unusual, and may have a hereditary basis for the response.

Pharmacokinetics

Study of drug actions as they move through the body; the way the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes drugs; mathematical study of drugs based on time and dose.

Pharmacology

Study of biologically active compounds, how they react in the body, and how the body reacts to them.

Pharmacotherapeutics

Study of drugs used to prevent, treat, or diagnose disease.

Pharmacy

Preparation and dispensing of drugs.

Toxicology

Study of harmful or poisonous effects of drugs.

Drug Toxicity

Deleterious effect of a drug on an organism or tissues resulting from overdosage or buildup of the drug in the blood because of impaired metabolism or excretion.

Drug Allergy

An immunologic reaction to a drug.

Anaphylactic Reaction

A severe allergic reaction that usually occurs immediately after administration of the drug.

Drug Tolerance

Exists in a person who has an unusually low physiologic response to a drug and who requires increases in the dosage to maintain a given therapeutic effect.

Cumulative Effect

The increasing response to repeated doses of a drug that occurs when the rate of administration exceeds the rate of metabolism or excretion.

Idiosyncratic Effect

An unexpected effect that may be individual to a client, causing unpredictable and unexplainable symptoms in a particular client.

Drug Potency

Amount of drug required to produce a therapeutic response. A drug that achieves the desired effect at a lower dose is more potent.

Effective Dose (ED)

Amount of drug that produces a therapeutic response in 50% of the people taking it.

Toxic Dose (TD)

Amount of drug that produces adverse effects in 50% of the people taking it.

Therapeutic Index (TI)

Margin of safety; the ratio between the Toxic Dose (TD) and the Effective Dose (ED). The higher the Therapeutic Index, the safer the drug is considered to be.

Chemical Name

Scientific name that describes the atomic and molecular structure of a drug.

Generic Name

Nonproprietary name; an abbreviation of the chemical name.

Trade Name (Brand Name)

Trade name selected by the pharmaceutical company that made the drug.

Enteral Route

Route where medication enters the body through the GI tract, taken by mouth, through the rectum, under the tongue, or held in the cheeks.

Parenteral Route

Route where medication enters the body through means other than the GI tract, such as injections (IV, arteries, muscles, spinal cord, subcutaneous), inhalation through the lungs, or transdermally via ointment or patch.

STAT Order

Medication order indicating that the medication is to be given immediately and only once.

Single Order (One-Time Order)

Medication order for a drug to be given once at a specified time.

Standing Order

Medication order that may or may not have a termination date and may be carried out indefinitely or for a specified number of days until cancelled.

PRN Order (As Needed Order)

Medication order permitting the nurse to give a medication when, in the nurse's judgment, the client requires it.

Adrenoreceptor Agonists (Adrenergic Drugs)

Drugs that mimic naturally occurring catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) or stimulate the release of norepinephrine.

Adrenocorticoids

Steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex, including glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, which help control body metabolism, salt balance, and swelling.

Glucocorticoids

Powerful anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant agents that regulate carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism, block inflammation, and regulate immune response.

Mineralocorticoids

Steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex (such as aldosterone) that regulate electrolyte homeostasis, specifically sodium reabsorption and potassium excretion.

Alpha-Adrenergic Blockers

Medications that lower blood pressure by dilating peripheral blood vessels, reducing peripheral resistance.

Androgens

Hormones such as testosterone used to promote maturation of male sex organs, development of secondary sex characteristics, calcium/nitrogen/phosphorus/sodium/potassium retention, and anabolism.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors

Medications that treat high blood pressure and heart failure by suppressing the RAAS system and blocking conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II (generic names end in -pril).

Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists (ARBs)

Medications that vasodilate arterioles by blocking the effects of angiotensin II and enhance renal clearance of sodium and water (generic names end in -sartan).

Anticholinergics

Medications used to treat spastic conditions, motion sickness, peptic ulcers, bronchospasms, and GU tract disorders by blocking cholinergic receptors.

Anticoagulants

Medications that prevent blood clot formation by inhibiting clotting factors (e.g., Warfarin, Heparin).

Antiplatelets

Medications that prevent blood clot formation by inhibiting platelet aggregation (e.g., Aspirin, Clopidogrel).

Antihistamines

Medications that block the effects of histamine released by mast cells and basophils during allergic reactions.

Anxiolytics (Skeletal Muscle Relaxants)

Medications used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms, tetanus, acute alcohol withdrawal, and as an adjunct for epilepsy.

Barbiturates

Sedative-hypnotic drugs used in the treatment of insomnia, severe anxiety, seizures, and pre-procedural sedation.

Benzodiazepines

Medications that enhance or facilitate the actions of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), used for seizure disorders, anxiety, sedation, and muscle spasms.

Beta Blockers

Medications that reduce the workload of the heart by blocking sympathetic conductance at beta receptors on the SA node and myocardial cells.

Calcium Channel Blockers

Medications that relax smooth muscle to provide vasodilation and affect cardiac muscle to reduce heart rate and stroke volume.

Diuretics

Medications that increase the excretion of sodium ($\text{Na}^+$) and water by the kidneys, resulting in increased urine production.

Loop Diuretics

Potent diuretics that work in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle by inhibiting the $\text{Na}^+/\text{K}^+/2\text{Cl}^-$ (NKCC2) transporter to increase urine output.

Potassium-Sparing Diuretics

Diuretics that block aldosterone, increasing excretion of sodium and water while sparing potassium ($\text{K}^+$).

Thiazide Diuretics

Antihypertensive diuretics that block reabsorption of sodium ($\text{Na}^+$), chloride ($\text{Cl}^-$), and water in the early distal convoluted tubule.

HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors (Statins)

First-line medications for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reducing cardiovascular disease risk.

Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists

Medications that block the action of leukotrienes to reduce bronchoconstriction, airway swelling, and mucus production in asthma.

Nitrates

Vasodilators that dilate blood vessels, improving blood flow to the heart and relieving chest pain (angina).

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis by blocking cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes.

Selective COX-2 Inhibitors

NSAIDs (such as Celecoxib) that selectively inhibit COX-2 associated with inflammation and pain with significantly less COX-1 inhibition.

Opioid Analgesics

Analgesics that bind to opioid receptors in the CNS to produce analgesic, sedative, and euphoric effects.

Sulfonamides (Sulfa Drugs)

Bacteriostatic antibiotics that inhibit folic acid production in bacteria, slowing bacterial growth.

Fluoroquinolones

Bactericidal antibiotics ending in "-floxacin" that obstruct bacterial DNA reproduction and prevent cell multiplication.

Tetracyclines

Bacteriostatic antibiotics ending in "-cycline" that interfere with bacterial cell binding, inhibiting growth and replication.

Aminoglycosides

Bactericidal antibiotics ending in "-mycin" or "-micin" that interfere with bacterial protein synthesis, causing bacterial cell death.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

Antidepressants that inhibit the reabsorption of serotonin into neurons, increasing serotonin availability in the brain.

Serotonin Syndrome

A condition caused by excessive serotonin in the brain, characterized by mental changes, muscle rigidity, tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia, and tremors.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)

Antidepressants that enhance adrenergic neurotransmitter transmission by blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin at the synapse.

Vitamin K (Phytonadione)

Fat-soluble vitamin essential for hepatic synthesis of clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X, serving as the antidote for Warfarin.

Clark's Rule

Pediatric dosage calculation formula based on child's weight in pounds: $\text{Child's Dose} = \frac{\text{Adult Dose} \times \text{Weight in Pounds}}{150}$.

Young's Rule

Pediatric dosage calculation formula for children 1 to 12 years old based on age in years: $\text{Child's Dose} = \frac{\text{Adult Dose} \times \text{Age in Years}}{\text{Age in Years} + 12}$.

Fried's Rule

Pediatric dosage calculation formula for infants 2 years of age or under based on age in months: $\text{Child's Dose} = \frac{\text{Adult Dose} \times \text{Age in Months}}{150}$.

Volume-Related Dosage Formula

Formula used to calculate dosage volume to administer: $\frac{D}{H} \times V = A$, where $D$ is desired dose, $H$ is dose on hand, $V$ is volume available, and $A$ is amount to administer.