Basic Concepts and Processes Ch 2

Question 1

Absorption

Answer 1

process that occurs from the time a drug enters the body to the time it enters the bloodstream to be circulated

Question 2

Agonist

Answer 2

drug that produces effects similar to those produced by naturally occurring hormones, neurotransmitters, and other substances

Question 3

Antagonists

Answer 3

drug that inhibits cell function by occupying receptor sites

Question 4

Antidote

Answer 4

substance that relieves, prevents, or counteracts the effect of a poison

Question 5

Bioavailability

Answer 5

portion of a drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation and is available to act on body cells

Question 6

Biotransformation

Answer 6

when drugs are altered from their original form into a new form by the body; also referred to as metabolism

Question 7

Distribution

Answer 7

transport of drug molecules within the body; after a drug is injected or absorbed into the bloodstream, it is carried by the blood and tissue fluids to its sites of action, metabolism, and excretion

Question 8

Enterohepatic recirculation

Answer 8

drugs or metabolites that are excreted in bile, reabsorbed from the small intestine, returned to the liver, metabolized, and eventually excreted in urine

Question 9

Enzyme induction

Answer 9

production of larger amounts of drug-metabolizing enzymes by liver cells; process accelerates drug metabolism because larger amounts of enzymes (and more binding sites) allow larger amounts of a drug to be metabolized during a given time

Question 10

Enzyme Inhibition

Answer 10

process in which a molecule binds to enzymes and inhibits their activity

Question 11

excretion

Answer 11

elimination of a drug from the body; effective excretion requires adequate functioning of the circulatory system and of the organs of excretion (kidneys,bowel,lungs,skin)

Question 12

first-pass effect

Answer 12

initial metabolism of some oral drugs as they are carried from the intestine to the liver by the portal circulatory system prior to reaching the systemic circulation for distribution to site of action

Question 13

hypersensitivity

Answer 13

immune-mediated reaction to a drug

Question 14

loading dose

Answer 14

dose larger than the regular prescribed daily dosage of a medication;used to attain a therapeutic blood level

Question 15

maintenance dose

Answer 15

quantity of a drug that is needed to keep blood level and/or tissue levels at a steady rate or constant level

Question 16

nephrotoxicity

Answer 16

toxic or damaging effect of a substance on the kidney;potentially serious because of renal damage interferes with drug excretion, causing drug accumulation and increased adverse effects

Question 17

pharmacodynamics

Answer 17

reactions between living systems and drugs;drug actions on target cells and the resulting alterations in cellular biochemical reactions and functions

Question 18

pharmacokinetics

Answer 18

drug movement through the body to reach sites of action, metabolism,and excretion

Question 19

prodrugs

Answer 19

initially inactive drugs that exert no pharmacologic effect until they are metabolized

Question 20

serum drug level

Answer 20

laboratory measurement of the amount of the drug in the blood at a particular time

Question 21

serum half-life

Answer 21

time required for the serum concentration of a drug to decrease by 50%; also called elimination half-life