Basic Principles of Drug Action and Drug Interactions

Vocabulary flashcards covering core pharmacology principles, administration routes, LADME stages, and adverse reactions from the lecture notes.

Drug Receptors

Specific sites where drugs form chemical bonds.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of interactions between drugs and their receptors and the series of events that result in a pharmacologic response.

Agonists

Drugs that interact with a receptor to stimulate a response.

Antagonist

Drugs that attach to a receptor but do not stimulate a response.

Enteral Route

A route of drug administration via the gastrointestinal tract using oral, rectal, or nasogastric routes.

Parenteral Route

A route of drug administration that bypasses the GI tract by using subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous injection.

Percutaneous Route

A route of drug administration where the drug is absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes via inhalation, sublingual, or topical administration.

LADME

The pharmacokinetic stages a drug passes through in the body: Liberation, Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion.

Liberation

The stage where a drug is released from its dosage form.

Absorption

The drug stage after administration that depends directly on the chosen route of administration.

Distribution

The drug stage that depends on circulation to transport the drug throughout the body.

Metabolism

The drug stage that depends on the body's enzyme systems to process the drug.

Excretion

The elimination of a drug from the body, which depends on the GI tract and kidneys.

Onset of Action

The point in time when the concentration of a drug at the site of action is sufficient to start a physiologic response.

Peak Action

The time at which a drug reaches its highest concentrations on the target receptor sites.

Duration of Action

The length of time that a drug continues to produce a pharmacologic effect.

Drug Blood Level

An assayed measurement of circulating drug in a blood sample used to determine whether a dosage should be increased or reduced.

Idiosyncratic Reactions

Reactions that occur when something unusual or abnormal happens when a drug is first administered.

Allergic Reactions

Reactions occurring in patients who have previously been exposed to a drug and whose immune systems have developed antibodies to it.

Drug Interactions

Events that occur when the action of one drug is altered or changed by the action of another drug, either increasing drug action or decreasing effectiveness.

Unbound Drugs

The pharmacologically active portion of a drug that is not bound to proteins in the blood.

Antagonistic Effect

A drug interaction in which the administration of one drug decreases or reverses the action of another drug.