Chapter 1-Intro Flashcards
Nurses Responsibility in regards to pharmacology (5)
- Administer drug
- Assess for side and adverse drug effects
- Make drug regimen more tolerable
- Providing patient teaching
- Monitor and prevent medication errors
Drug Actions (4)
- Replace or act as a substitute for missing chemicals
- Increase or stimulate certain cellular activities
- Depress or slow cellular activities
- Interfere with the functioning of foreign cells
Natural sources of drugs (2)
- Plants
- Animal products
Plant drug source description (2)
- Synthetic version of the active chemical found in a plant
- Main component of the growing alternative therapy movement
Animal product drug source description (2)
- Used to replace human chemicals
- Many of these are now made synthetically
Synthetic sources of drugs
Genetic engineering alter bacteria to produce chemicals that are therapeutic and effective
Drug Evaluation Steps (5)
- Preclinical Trials
- Phase I Studies
- Phase II Studies
- Phase III Studies
- Phase IV Studies
Preclinical Trials
- Chemicals are tested on lab animals
- Safety
Phase I Studies
- Chemicals tested on human volunteers
- Healthy people
Phase II Studies
-Drug tried on informed patients
-Phase III Studies
- Drug used in vast chemical market
- Deemed safe and effective
Phase IV Studies
- Continual evaluation of the drug
- Full marketing
When does full FDA approval occur
Between Phase III and Phase IV
What categories of medications are safe for pregnant women?
Category A and B
What category of medication causes fetal risk?
Category D and X
What medication category has no studies done on fetal risk?
Category C
What controlled substance has the highest abuse level?
Schedule I
What controlled substance have the least amount of abuse?
Schedule V
What is a generic drug?
Chemicals that are produced by companies involved solely in the manufacturing of drugs
Problems associated with OTC drugs? (3)
- Mask signs and symptoms of underlying disease
- Drug interactions
- Overdose if not taken correctly
What is on a drug label?
-Identification of the drug
-
What is a package insert? (3)
- Prepared by the manufacturer
- Contains all of the chemical and study information that led to the drug’s approval
- Difficult to understand and read
1938 The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
Created what is now known as the FDA
1983 The Orphan Drug Act
Designed to promote the development of drugs to treat rare diseases
1997 The Food and Drug Modernization Act
Five provisions within this act
Pharmacokinetics definition
The process of drug movement throughout the body necessary to achieve the desired effects
Four processes of pharmacokinetics
- Absorption
- Distribution
- Metabolism
- Excretion
What is the least effective drug route?
Oral
Most effective drug route?
IV
Bioavailability definition
The amount of a drug that is available for activity
First Pass Effect (3)
- Medications are metabolized by the liver
- Decreases the amount available for the body to use
- Mainly seen with oral medications
Steady State (2)
- The amount of med being administered is the same amount as the amount being excreted
- Necessary to achieve therapeutic affect
Loading Dose (3)
- A higher does than usually used for treatment
- Usually a one time thing
- Used to get therapeutic level
Metabolism of drugs occurs where?
The liver
When liver function is impaired what happens to metabolism of medications? (3)
- It slows down
- Need to decrease does
- Need to increase frequency
Excretion occurs where?
The kidneys
When kidney function is impaired what happens to excretion?
- It decreases
- Need to lower the does
Half-life definition
-The amount of time it takes the body to decrease peak level of the drug by one half
Half-life is affected by what? (4)
- Absorption
- Distribution
- Metabolism
- Excretion
Factors Influencing Drug Effect (8)
- Weight -Age
- Gender -Physiological Factors
- Tolerance -Pathological Factors
- Genetics -Cumulative effects
When can drug to drug interactions occurs?
Any time two or more drugs are taken together
Agonist drug interaction
Drugs work together to enhance
Antagonist drug interaction
Drugs work against each other to decrease effects
Drug to drug interactions can occur at…(4)
- Site of absorption
- During distribution
- At the site of action
- During biotransformation
Drugs are best taken how in regards to food?
On an empty stomach
What food or drink interacts with a lot of drugs and why?
- Grapefruit juice
- Because it deactivates liver enzymes
Difference between side effects and adverse reactions
- Side effects: treatable, short term, doesn’t change effectiveness
- Adverse reaction: more severe than side effect
5 more frequent side effects
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
What are always undesirable?
Adverse reactions
can be life threatening
Assessment (3)
- Date gathering
- History
- Physical assessment
Nursing Diagnosis
-Drawing conclusions from the assessment data that was gathered
Intervention (2)
- Giving the medication
- Formulating the plan of care to improve or maintain the patient’s health
Evaluation (2)
- Did the medication work?
- Determining if the plan of care was effective
What does the assessment phase look at in regards to pharmacology? (7)
- Chronic conditions
- Drug use
- Allergies
- Level of education/understanding
- Social support
- Financial supports
- Pattern of past health care
Implementation phase of pharmacology (4)
- Desired patient outcomes
- Effective response to drug therapy
- Minimization of adverse effects
- Understanding of the drug regiment
- What we expect to happen*
Prevention of Medication Errors
- Series of Checks
- Reporting of medication errors
- Dug Regimen Process
Have alternative/supplemental therapies tested by the FDA?
No
Alternative/Supplemental Therapies (4)
- Used for “self treatment”
- Placeo effect
- Filler ingredients are not always knows
- Drug interactions may occur
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (4)
- Clarified marketing regulations of herbal remedies
- Testing is not required
- Physiologic effects of the product can be noted
- No claims about preventing specific conditions
Controls for Alternative/Supplemental Therapies (3)
- Not controlled or tested by FDA
- No advertisement restrictions
- No regulations by any industry
What is the black oval?
USP studied supplement, which looks at the chemical structure
