Chapter 1

Question 1

Drug

Answer 1

A drug is defined as any chemical that can affect living processes

Question 2

Pharmacology:

Answer 2

Pharmacology can be defined as the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems

Question 3

Therapeutics:

Answer 3

It is defined as the use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or to prevent pregnancy.

Question 4

Therapeutics, also known as

Answer 4

pharmacotherapeutics,

Question 5

Properties of an Ideal Drug: The Big Three

Answer 5

1. Effectiveness
2. Safety
3. Selectivity

Question 6

Effectiveness of Drug:

Answer 6

An effective drug is one that elicits the responses for which it is given.

Question 7

The most important property a drug can have”

Answer 7

Effectiveness

Question 8

Safety of drug:

Answer 8

A safe drug is defined as one that cannot produce harmful effects—even if administered in very high doses and for a very long time.

Question 9

Selectivity of drug:

Answer 9

A selective drug is defined as one that elicits only the response for which it is given.

Question 10

Additional Properties of An Ideal Drug: (4-10)

Answer 10

4. Reversible Action:
5. Predictability:
6. Ease of Administration:
7. Freedom from Drug Interactions:
8. Low Cost:
9. Chemical Stability:
10. Possession of a Simple Generic Name:

Question 11

Reversible Action:

Answer 11

That is, in most cases, we want drug actions to subside within an appropriate time.

Question 12

Predictability:

Answer 12

we could know with certainty just how a given patient will respond.

Question 13

Ease of Administration:

Answer 13

The route should be convenient,
And the number of doses per day should be low.

Question 14

Ease of admission has two other benefits:

Answer 14

1. It can enhance patient adherence, and
2. It can decrease risk.
   Patients are more likely to adhere to a dosing schedule that consists of one daily dose rather than several doses a day.
   Furthermore, whenever skin integrity is broken, as is the case when drugs are given by injection, there is a risk of infection and injection-site pain and discomfort.

Question 15

Freedom from Drug Interactions:

Answer 15

Because of the potential for interaction among drugs, when a patient is taking more than one agent, the possible impact of drug interactions must be considered.

An ideal drug would not interact with other agents.

Question 16

Low Cost:

Answer 16

An ideal drug would be easy to afford.

Question 17

Chemical Stability:

Answer 17

Some drugs lose effectiveness during storage.

Others that may be stable on the shelf can rapidly lose effectiveness when put into solution

Because of chemical instability, stocks of certain drugs must be periodically discarded. An ideal drug would retain its activity indefinitely.

Question 18

Possession of a Simple Generic Name:

Answer 18

Generic names of drugs are usually complex, and so they may be difficult to remember and pronounce.

Question 19

The Therapeutic Objective

Answer 19

The therapeutic objective of drug therapy is to provide maximum benefit with minimal harm.

Question 20

Our ultimate concern when administering a drug

Answer 20

Is the intensity of the response

Question 21

Administration of a drug includes:

Answer 21

drug dosage
route
timing of administration

Question 22

All drugs are not taken or administered as prescribed, if dosage is too high:

Answer 22

The result may be toxicity if dosage is too high

Question 23

All drugs are not taken or administered as prescribed, if dosage is too low:

Answer 23

The result may be treatment failure if the dosage is too low

Question 24

Poor adherence

Answer 24

Sometimes patients do not take medications as prescribed.

Question 25

To help minimize errors caused by poor adherence, you should

Answer 25

you should give patients complete instructions about their medication and how to take it.

Question 26

Medication errors made by hospital staff may result in

Answer 26

may result in a drug being administered by the wrong route, in the wrong dose, or at the wrong time; the patient may even be given the wrong drug.

Question 27

Pharmacokinetics:

Answer 27

Pharmacokinetic processes determine how much of an administered dose gets to its sites of action

Question 28

Four major pharmacokinetic processes: the impact of the body on drugs

Answer 28

drug absorption
drug distribution
drug metabolism
drug excretion

Question 29

Pharmacokinetic processes can be thought of as

Answer 29

These processes can be thought of as the impact of the body on drugs

Question 30

Pharmacodynamics processes determine:

Answer 30

Once a drug has reached its sites of action, pharmacodynamic processes determine the nature and intensity of the response.

Question 31

Pharmacodynamics can be thought of as

Answer 31

Pharmacodynamics can be thought of as the impact of drugs on the body.

Question 32

What can influence pharmacodynamic processes?

Answer 32

Patient’s functional state can influence pharmacodynamic processes.

Question 33

What can help determine the responses that a drug elicits?

Answer 33

Placebo effects also help determine the responses that a drug elicits.