1: Principles of Pharm

Question 1

Pharmacokinetics

Answer 1

study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, or eliminated from the body

Question 2

threshold dose

Answer 2

minimum dose of a drug needed to cause cellular changes (aka minimal effective dose)

Question 3

potency / potent

Answer 3

amount of a drug needed to produce a given effect / powerful in small doses

Question 4

pharmacotherapeutics

Answer 4

drugs used to prevent, treat, or diagnose a disease (therapeutic impact of medications)

Question 5

pharmacodynamics

Answer 5

analysis of what the drug does to the body at the systemic and cellular level (what is the effect of the drug on the body)

Question 6

What group monitors and approves new drugs in the U.S.?

Answer 6

the FDA

Question 7

how are animals involved in the drug creation process?

Answer 7

they are the initial testing phase, before human tests

Question 8

what are the 3 phases of drug testing (number of subjects)?

Answer 8

Phase 1 - 10-100 subjects
Phase 2 - 50-500
Phase 3 - hundreds to thousands

Question 9

What portion of drugs tested in clinical trails reach the marketplace?

Answer 9

less than 1/3

Question 10

controlled substances

Answer 10

medications with strict regulations in order to try to prevent drug abuse

Question 11

drug toxicity

Answer 11

drug level exceeds therapeutic range; body reacts to higher rate of intake before the body can metabolize or excrete

Question 12

TI equation

Answer 12

TD50 / ED50

Question 13

non-receptor drugs

Answer 13

some drugs exert their effects without interaction with a receptor

Question 14

neurotransmitters

Answer 14

released by neurons to cause excitation or inhibition to other neurons

Question 15

ceiling effect

Answer 15

maximum dose of a drug where increased doses will not result in further change

Question 16

median effective dose (ED50)

Answer 16

the dose at which 50% of the population responds to it in the expected manner

Question 17

median toxic dose (TD50)

Answer 17

the dose at which 50% of the population exhibits the specific adverse effect

Question 18

median lethal dose (LD50)

Answer 18

the dose that causes death in 50% of the animals it was tested on

Question 19

therapeutic index

Answer 19

an indicator of the drug’s safety; determined by the median effective dose and toxic dose. safer drugs have higher TI value (larger margin for error)

Question 20

drugs with highest vs. lowest TI

Answer 20

highest: OTC
lowest: chemo

Question 21

enteral drug administration

Answer 21

drug intake that involves the GI system; oral, sublingual, buccal, rectal

Question 22

parental drug administration

Answer 22

drug intake that is not associated with the GI system; inhalation, injection, topical, transdermal

Question 23

oral administration

Answer 23

• swallowing drug, absorbed by GI lumen
• most common enteral method
• must be lipid-soluble so that it is absorbed into mucosa and bloodstream
• may be slower and less complete than some parenteral routes

Question 24

first-pass effect

Answer 24

when a significant amount of the drug is metabolized by the liver before it ever reaches its site of action

Question 25

sublingual and buccal administration

Answer 25

- drugs placed under tongue - drugs placed between cheek and gums - NOT subject to first-pass effect - will be ineffective if swallowed

Question 26

rectal administration

Answer 26

- inserted via suppositories - poor absorption, irritation of rectal mucosa - partial avoidance of first-pass effect

Question 27

parenteral admin compared to enteral admin

Answer 27

- parenteral methods deliver drugs to the action site more directly - quantity of parenteral drug that reaches the site is more predictable - not effected by first-pass effect of liver

Question 28

inhalation administration

Answer 28

- drugs in aerosol form - drugs diffuse into pulmonary circulation through alveoli - commonly used with pulmonary medications and general anesthetics

Question 29

injection administration

Answer 29

- used for systemic or local drugs - can be through veins, arteries, skin, muscle, spinal subarachnoid space, bursae - IV commonly used in ER because it is fast

Question 30

topical administration

Answer 30

- drug applied to the surface of the skin or mucous membrane - used to treat skin conditions - not well absorbed across the epidermis - includes eye & ear drops

Question 31

transdermal administration

Answer 31

- drugs applied to the surface of the skin - designed to be absorbed into skin - allows for slow controlled release of drug (medicine patches) - absorption & effect of drug depends on local blood flow at the site - includes ionto & phonophoresis

Question 32

bioavailability

Answer 32

the extent to which the drug reaches the systemic circulation (expressed as a percentage of the amount of drug administered)

Question 33

factors that affect distribution of a drug

Answer 33

tissue permeability, blood flow, plasma proteins, subcellular components

Question 34

What is the problem with drugs binding to plasma proteins?

Answer 34

drugs can form irreversible bonds with proteins in the bloodstream which renders them essentially ineffective

Question 35

volume of distribution

Answer 35

amount of drug administered / concentration of drug in the plasma (used to estimate how well a drug was distributed throughout the body)

Question 36

locations drugs may be stored after being absorbed

Answer 36

adipose tissue (most common), bone, muscle, organs

Question 37

controlled-release substances

Answer 37

drugs that are designed to have a slower and prolonged absorption from the GI tract or other routes (common in meds for cardiovascular, pain, and parkinson's)

Question 38

implanted drug devices

Answer 38

surgically inserted container in the abdomen that has a reservoir of the drug and releases in small, measured doses on a schedule; can be controlled by remotes

Question 39

two ways of drug elimination

Answer 39

biotransformation and excretion

Question 40

biotransformation

Answer 40

chemical changes that take place which alter the drug into a metabolite which is inactive

Question 41

site for most drug biotransformation

Answer 41

liver

Question 42

methods of drug excretion

Answer 42

kidneys (most common), lungs, GI tract, sweat, saliva, breast milk

Question 43

tolerance

Answer 43

prolonged use of a drug induces the body to adjust and break down the drug faster

Question 44

clearance

Answer 44

elimination of a drug (can be used to describe specific organs or the whole body)

Question 45

half-life

Answer 45

the amount of time required for 50% of the drug in the body to be eliminated

Question 46

factors that affect how an individual responds to drugs

Answer 46

genetics, disease, drug interactions, age, diet, sex, exercise, smoking, alcohol, obesity, SCI