Chapter 11 Flashcards
Absorption
the process by which a medication moves from the site of administration into the vascular system.
Adrenergic
pertaining to the nerves that release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and the receptor sites that it acts upon
Affinity
a measure of attraction and degree of binding between a drug and a cellular receptor.
Agonist
drugs that bind to a receptor and cause a response.
Analgesics
Antagonist
drugs that bind to receptor sites and prevent a normal response by the cell.
Anticholinergics
drugs that block acetylcholine receptors, preventing the transmission of parasympathetic nerve impulses
Anticoagulant
Antiplatelet
a medication that interferes with platelet aggregation.
Barbiturates
sedatives with a mechanism of action that includes an increase in affinity between the receptor sites and the neurotransmitter GABA.
Bioavailability
the degree to which a drug becomes available at the site of physiological activity after it is administered.
Biotransformation
the chemical alterations that a substance, such as a drug, undergoes within the body
Cholinergics
medications that stimulate the cellular acetylcholine (ACh) receptors.
Contraindications
the conditions under which administering an otherwise indicated medication would result in patient harm.
Cross-tolerance
a decrease in responsiveness to the effects of several related drugs.
Diuretics
substances that promote the excretion of water through the kidneys.
Fibrinolytic
a substance that breaks down blood clots by initiating the body’s normal mechanism for dissolving blood clots.
Habitation
a decreased response to a drug following repeated doses.
Half-life
the time it takes for the level of a drug in the blood to decrease by 50 percent.
Hypersensitivity
an allergy
iatrogenic
any adverse condition resulting from medical treatment provided.
idiosyncratic reactions
an unusual, unexpected reaction to a medication.
indications
the conditions that must be present for a medication to be administered.
Mechanism of action
the way in which a drug has its therapeutic effect on the body.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
medications with pain-relieving and fever-reducing properties and that decrease the inflammatory response.
OTC medication
any drug that can be legally purchased without a prescription.
Parasympatholytic
medications that reduce the actions of the parasympathetic nervous system.
parasympathomimetics
classification of medications that are agonists to the parasympathetic nervous system.
pharmacodynamics
the actions that drugs have on the body.
pharmacokinetics
the branch of pharmacology concerned with the way drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated from the body.
pharmacology
the study of the origin, nature, properties, and actions of drugs and their effects on living organisms.
potentiation
the enhancement of one medication as a result of being combined with another.
sympatholytics
medications that reduce the actions of the sympathetic nervous system.
sympathomimetics
a classification of medications that mimic the effects of the sympathetic nervous system.
synergism
the combined action of two drugs such that the effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects of the two medications.
teratogenic
medication that, when taken by a pregnant woman, may potentially deform, injure, or kill a fetus.
therapeutic index
a ratio comparing a medication’s lethal dose, which would cause death in 50 percent of the population (LD50), with an effective dose of the same medication for 50 percent of the population (ED50). The closer the ratio is to 1, the less the difference is between the effective and lethal doses of a medication.
therapeutic threshold
the level of medication in the blood that must be achieved for the medication to begin to have an effect.
