PHARMACOLOGY Lecture Notes Flashcards

100 QA flashcards covering pharmacology basics, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, ethics, dosing calculations, and common drug concepts from the notes.

What is pharmacology?

The study of drugs including their structure, composition, chemical properties, and their biomedical and physiologic effects on the body.

What is a drug?

Any chemical that will affect the body or living processes.

What are the objectives and phases of pharmaceutical research?

Pre-clinical trials (drug discovery) and human clinical experimentation Phases 1–4.

What happens in Pre-clinical trials?

Determine a drug’s toxic and pharmacological effects through in vitro and in vivo (animal) studies.

Phase 1 clinical trial focuses on what?

Safety testing in 20–80 healthy individuals.

Phase 2 clinical trial focuses on what?

Testing effectiveness in 100–300 real patients.

Phase 3 clinical trial focuses on what?

Confirmation of safety and effectiveness in 1,000+ patients.

Phase 4 clinical trial focuses on what?

Long-term effects, optimal uses, and additional uses.

What is Autonomy in research ethics?

Self-determination; patient’s right to decide and to refuse treatments or participate without penalty.

What is Beneficence?

Duty to protect research subjects from harm by assessing risks and potential benefits.

What is Justice in research ethics?

Fairness regardless of social class, race, or ethnic group.

What is Informed Consent?

Patient’s right to be informed voluntarily; disclosure of purpose, duration, procedures, risks/benefits, confidentiality.

What are common Inclusion Criteria?

Examples include age 18–65, weight 50–100 kg, no medication for last 3 months.

What are common Exclusion Criteria?

Pregnant/nursing, sexually active, with abnormal lab values, or other specified conditions.

Where is the primary site of drug metabolism?

Liver (Cytochrome P450 enzymes).

What does Pharmacokinetics study?

Movement of a drug through the body to achieve its effect: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion.

What does Pharmacodynamics study?

The effects of drugs on the body and mechanisms of action.

What is Absorption?

Movement of a drug from the site of administration into the bloodstream.

What is Distribution?

Movement of a drug from the bloodstream to body tissues and compartments.

What is Metabolism/Biotransformation?

Conversion of drugs into more easily excretable forms, primarily in the liver.

What is Excretion?

Elimination of the drug or its metabolites from the body (urine, stool, exhalation, sweat).

What is Bioavailability?

Percentage of the administered drug that reaches systemic circulation and is available for activity.

What is a Drug’s Half-life?

The time required for the drug's plasma concentration to be reduced by half.

What does ADME stand for?

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion.

Name a factor that affects absorption: Rate of dissolution.

Faster dissolution increases absorption rate.

Name a factor that affects absorption: Surface area.

Larger surface area increases absorption rate.

Name a factor that affects absorption: Blood flow.

Greater blood flow increases absorption rate.

What is pH partitioning?

Ionization of a drug influences its absorption depending on environmental pH.

How does lipid solubility affect absorption?

Lipid-soluble drugs cross lipid membranes more rapidly than water-soluble drugs.

What is passive diffusion?

Movement of a drug across a membrane from higher to lower concentration without energy.

What is facilitated diffusion?

Diffusion that uses carrier proteins to move drugs down their concentration gradient.

What is Active Transport?

Energy-requiring process that moves drugs across membranes, often against a gradient.

What is Pinocytosis?

Cellular process where the cell engulfs drug particles in vesicles for transport.

What is Bioavailability (restate)?

Percentage of a drug that reaches systemic circulation and is available for action.

What is the site of metabolism?

Liver, especially via cytochrome P450 enzymes.

What is Excretion primarily accomplished by the kidneys?

Renal excretion via urine; also via other routes like stool, breath, sweat.

What is Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)?

Measuring drug levels to optimize therapy by identifying peak and trough levels.

What is a Peak drug level?

Highest plasma concentration of a drug at a specific time after dosing.

What is a Trough drug level?

Lowest plasma concentration before the next dose.

What is Receptor Theory?

Drug binding to receptors can activate or inactivate them; the fit determines the effect.

What is an Agonist?

A drug that activates a receptor to produce a response.

What is a Partial Agonist?

Activates receptor but yields a partial response.

What is an Antagonist?

A drug that blocks receptor activation.

What is the Mechanism of Action?

The specific biochemical interaction through which a drug produces its effect (stimulation, depression, irritation, replacement).

What is Potency?

The amount of drug needed to produce a given effect; higher potency means smaller dose.

What is Efficacy?

The maximum effect a drug can produce.

What is the Therapeutic Index?

The relationship between the drug's therapeutic dose and toxic dose.

What is Onset of Action?

Time from administration to minimum effective concentration.

What is Peak (in pharmacodynamics)?

Time when plasma concentration is highest.

What is Duration of Action?

Period during which the drug has a therapeutic effect.

What is a Drug–Drug Interaction?

Alteration of effect when two or more drugs are taken together.

What is Additive Effect?

Combined effect equals the sum of individual effects.

What is Synergistic Effect?

Combined effect greater than the sum of individual effects.

What is Antagonistic Effect?

One drug reduces or blocks the effect of another.

What is Drug Tolerance?

Diminished response to a drug requiring higher dose for same effect.

What is Physical Dependence?

Physiological adaptation to a drug with withdrawal symptoms on cessation.

What is Psychological Dependence?

Psychological craving or compulsive use of a drug.

What is Cytotoxic Action?

Action that kills cells; commonly used in cancer chemotherapy.

What is Antimicrobial Action?

Drugs that kill or inhibit microorganisms.

What is a Side Effect?

A secondary, often undesirable effect of a drug.

What is an Adverse Effect?

An unintended or harmful reaction to a drug.

What is Hypersensitivity?

Allergic reaction to a drug.

What is Anaphylaxis?

Severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction with rapid onset.

What is Excipients?

Fillers and inert substances added to drug formulations to shape, size, potency, and dissolution.

What is Disintegration?

Manual breakdown of tablets into smaller particles.

What is Dissolution?

Dissolving of disintegrated particles in GI fluids for absorption.

What is a Drop Factor?

Gtt/mL; the factor used to calculate drip rate.

How do you compute Volume to be given from concentration?

Dose Ordered / concentration = volume to administer.

Example: Digoxin ordered 0.75 mg; vial contains 0.5 mg/mL; how many mL?

1.5 mL.

Example: Suspension 125 mg/5 mL; order 200 mg; how many mL?

8 mL.

Example: Amoxicillin 1.2 g; capsules 400 mg each; how many capsules?

3 capsules.

Example: Acetaminophen 0.5 g; tablets 250 mg; how many tablets?

2 tablets.

Reconstitution calculation: 500 mg powder with 5 mL water equals what concentration?

100 mg/mL.

IV calculation: 500 mL over 4 hours with 20 gtt/mL; drip rate (gtt/min)?

Approximately 41.7 gtt/min.

IV calculation: 200 mL over 2 hours with 15 gtt/mL tubing; drip rate (gtt/min)?

Approximately 25 gtt/min.

IV calculation: 100 mL over 30 minutes with 60 gtt/mL tubing; drip rate (gtt/min)?

Approximately 200 gtt/min.

Dextrose 5% 1000 mL IV to run over 8 hours; flow rate in mL/hr?

125 mL/hr.

An IV infusion of 600 mL over 4 hours; flow rate in mL/hr?

150 mL/hr.

What is the difference between Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics?

PK studies absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion; PD studies drug effects and mechanisms of action.

What is the Route of administration?

The path by which a drug is taken into the body (oral, IV, IM, etc.).

What does Onset reflect in pharmacodynamics?

Time to reach minimum effective concentration.

What does Peak reflect?

Time of maximum drug concentration in plasma.

What does Duration reflect?

The length of time the drug produces a therapeutic effect.

What is the Therapeutic Index meaning?

The relationship between therapeutic dose and toxic dose.

What is Bioavailability a measure of?

How much of the administered drug becomes systemically available.

What is Active Transport?

An energy-dependent process moving drugs across membranes.

What is Pinocytosis?

Cells engulf drug particles in vesicles for transport.

What is the function of excipients in drug formulation?

To adjust size, shape, potency and to enhance dissolution.

What is Dosage?

The amount of medication prescribed to be taken.

What is Receptor Binding?

Interaction of a drug with a receptor to produce a response.

What is the significance of receptor fit in receptor theory?

Better fit means more active drug response.

What is an Agonist?

A drug that activates a receptor to produce a response.

What is a Antagonist?

A drug that blocks receptor activation.

What is a Partial Agonist?

Activates receptor but yields a partial response.

What is a drug interaction?

Alteration of effect when two or more drugs are taken together.

What is the difference between additive, synergistic, and antagonistic interactions?

Additive: sum of effects; Synergistic: greater than sum; Antagonistic: one drug blocks another.

What is Cytotoxic Action?

Cell-killing action, often used in cancer chemotherapy.

What is Antimicrobial Action?

Drugs that kill or inhibit microorganisms.

What is a Side Effect vs an Adverse Effect?

Side effect is a secondary effect; adverse effect is an unintended/harmful reaction.

What is Hypersensitivity?

Allergic reaction to a drug.