Chapter 2 Definitions SLO 1.1

Question 1

Additive effects

Answer 1

Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs with similar actions, administered at the same time, is the action of one plus the action of the other, with the total effect of both drugs being given (compare with synergistic effects). (p. 31)

Question 2

Adverse drug event (ADE)

Answer 2

Any undesirable occurrence as a result of administering or failing to administer a prescribed medication. (p. 31)

Question 3

Adverse drug reaction (ADR)

Answer 3

Any unexpected, unintended, undesired, or excessive response to a medication given at therapeutic dosages (compare with adverse drug event). (p. 32)

Question 4

Adverse effects

Answer 4

A general term for any undesirable effects that are a direct response to one or more drugs. (p. 30)

Question 5

Agonists

Answer 5

Drugs that bind to and stimulate the activity of one or more receptors in the body. (p. 29)

Question 6

Allergic reaction

Answer 6

An immunological hypersensitivity reaction resulting from the unusual sensitivity of a patient to a medication; a type of adverse drug event. (p. 32)

Question 7

Antagonists

Answer 7

Drugs that bind to and inhibit the activity of one or more receptors in the body; also called inhibitors. (p. 29)

Question 8

Antagonistic effects

Answer 8

Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs is less than the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs given alone; usually caused by an antagonizing (blocking or reducing) effect of one drug on another. (p. 31)

Question 9

Bioavailability

Answer 9

A measure of the fraction of drug administered dose that is delivered unchanged to the systemic circulation (from 0% to 100%). (p. 19)

Question 10

Biotransformation

Answer 10

One or more biochemical reactions involving a parent drug. (p. 24)

Question 11

Blood–brain barrier

Answer 11

The barrier system that restricts the passage of various chemicals and microscopic entities (e.g., bacteria, viruses) between the bloodstream and the central nervous system but allows for the passage of essential substances such as oxygen. (p. 24)

Question 12

Chemical name

Answer 12

The name that describes the chemical composition and molecular structure of a drug. (p. 16)

Question 13

Contraindication

Answer 13

Any condition, especially one that is a result of a disease state or patient characteristic, including current or recent drug therapy, that renders a form of treatment improper or undesirable. (p. 29)

Question 14

Cytochrome P450

Answer 14

The general name for a large class of enzymes that play a significant role in drug metabolism and drug interactions. (p. 24)

Question 15

Dependence

Answer 15

A state in which there is a compulsive or chronic need, as for a drug. (p. 30)

Question 16

Dissolution

Answer 16

The process by which solid forms of drugs disintegrate in the gastrointestinal tract and become soluble before they are absorbed into the circulation. (p. 17)

Question 17

Drug

Answer 17

Any chemical that affects the physiological processes of a living organism. (p. 16)

Question 18

Drug actions

Answer 18

The processes involved in the interaction between a drug and body cells (e.g., the action of a drug on a receptor protein); also referred to as mechanisms of action. (p. 17)

Question 19

Drug classification

Answer 19

A method of grouping drugs; may be based on structure or therapeutic use. (p. 16)

Question 20

Drug effects

Answer 20

The physiological reactions of the body to a drug. They can be therapeutic or toxic and describe how the body is affected by the drug. The terms onset, peak, and duration are used to describe drug effects (most often referring to therapeutic effects). (p. 27)

Question 21

Drug-induced teratogenesis

Answer 21

The development of congenital anomalies or defects in the developing fetus that are caused by the toxic effects of drugs. (p. 33)

Question 22

Drug interaction

Answer 22

Alteration of the pharmacological or pharmacokinetic activity of a given drug caused by the presence of one or more additional drugs; it is usually a result of effects on the enzymes required for metabolism of the involved drugs. (p. 31)

Question 23

Duration of action

Answer 23

The length of time the concentration of a drug in the blood or tissues is sufficient to elicit a therapeutic response. (p. 27)

Question 24

Enzymes

Answer 24

Protein molecules that catalyze one or more of
a variety of biochemical reactions, including those that are a result of the body’s physiological processes or drug metabolism. (p. 28)

Question 25

First-pass effect

Answer 25

The initial metabolism in the liver of a drug absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract before the drug reaches the systemic circulation through the bloodstream. (p. 19)

Question 26

Generic name

Answer 26

The name given to a drug approved by Health Canada; also called the nonproprietary name or the official name. The generic name is much shorter and simpler than the chemical name and is not protected by trademark.
(p. 16)

Question 27

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency

Answer 27

A hereditary condition in which red blood cells break down when the body is exposed to certain drugs. (p. 32)

Question 28

Half-life

Answer 28

In pharmacokinetics, the time it takes for the blood level of a drug to be reduced by 50%; also called elimination half-life. (p. 26)

Question 29

Idiosyncratic reaction

Answer 29

An abnormal and unexpected response to a medication, other than an allergic reaction, that is peculiar to an individual patient. (p. 32)

Question 30

Incompatibility

Answer 30

The characteristic that causes two parenteral drugs or solutions to undergo a reaction when mixed or given together that results in the chemical deterioration of at least one of the drugs. (p. 31)

Question 31

Intra-arterial

Answer 31

Within an artery (e.g., intra-arterial injection). (p. 23)

Question 32

Intra-articular

Answer 32

Within a joint (e.g., intra-articular injection). (p. 23)

Question 33

Intrathecal

Answer 33

Within a sheath (e.g., the theca of the spinal cord), as in an intrathecal injection into the subarachnoid space. (p. 23)

Question 34

Medication error (ME)

Answer 34

Any preventable adverse drug event involving inappropriate medication use by a patient or health care provider; may or may not cause patient harm. (p. 32)

Question 35

Medication use process

Answer 35

The prescribing, dispensing, and administering of medications and the monitoring of their effects. (p. 32)

Question 36

Metabolite

Answer 36

A chemical form of a drug that is the product of one or more biochemical (metabolic) reactions involving the parent drug. Active metabolites are those that have pharmacological activity of their own, even
if the parent drug is inactive (see prodrug). Inactive metabolites lack pharmacological activity and are simply drug waste products awaiting excretion from the body (e.g., via the urinary, gastrointestinal, or respiratory tract). (p. 32)

Question 37

Onset of action

Answer 37

The time required for a drug to elicit a therapeutic response after dosing. (p. 27)

Question 38

Parent drug

Answer 38

The chemical form of a drug that is administered before it is metabolized by the body’s biochemical reactions into its active or inactive metabolites. A parent drug that is not pharmacologically active is called a prodrug. A prodrug is then metabolized to pharmacologically active metabolites. (p. 19)

Question 39

Peak effect

Answer 39

The time required for a drug to reach its maximum therapeutic response in the body. (p. 27)

Question 40

Peak level

Answer 40

The maximum concentration of a drug in the body after administration, usually measured in a blood sample for therapeutic drug monitoring. (p. 28)

Question 41

Pharmaceutics

Answer 41

The science of preparing and dispensing drugs, including dosage form design (e.g., tablets, capsules, injections, patches, etc.). (p. 16)

Question 42

Pharmacodynamics

Answer 42

The study of the biochemical and physiological interactions of drugs at their sites of activity; it examines the properties of drugs and their pharmacological interactions with body protein receptors. (p. 16)

Question 43

Pharmacoeconomics

Answer 43

The study of economic factors impacting the cost of drug therapy. (p. 17)

Question 44

Pharmacogenetics

Answer 44

The study of the influence of genetic factors on drug response, including the nature of genetic aberrations that result in the absence, overabundance, or insufficiency of drug-metabolizing enzymes (also called pharmacogenomics; see Chapter 5). (p. 32)

Question 45

Pharmacognosy

Answer 45

The study of drugs that are obtained from natural plant and animal sources. (p. 17)

Question 46

Pharmacokinetics

Answer 46

The study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of drugs. (p. 17)

Question 47

Pharmacology

Answer 47

The broadest term for the study or science of drugs. (p. 16)

Question 48

Pharmacotherapeutics

Answer 48

The treatment of pathological conditions through the use of drugs; also called therapeutics. (p. 17)

Question 49

Prodrug

Answer 49

An inactive drug dosage form that is converted to an active metabolite by various biochemical reactions once it is inside the body. (p. 24)

Question 50

Receptor

Answer 50

A molecular structure within or on the outer surface of a cell. Receptors bind specific substances (e.g., drug molecules), and one or more corresponding cellular effects (drug actions) occur as a result of this drug–receptor interaction. (p. 28)

Question 51

Steady state

Answer 51

The physiological state in which the amount of drug removed via elimination is equal to the amount of drug absorbed with each dose. (p. 27)

Question 52

Substrates

Answer 52

Substances (e.g., drugs or natural biochemicals in the body) on which enzymes act. (p. 25)

Question 53

Synergistic effects

Answer 53

Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs with similar actions is greater than the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs given alone (compare with additive effects). (p. 31)

Question 54

Therapeutic drug monitoring

Answer 54

The process of measuring drug levels to identify a patient’s drug exposure and to allow adjustment of dosages with the goals of maximizing therapeutic effects and minimizing toxicity. (p. 28)

Question 55

Therapeutic effect

Answer 55

The desired or intended effect of a particular medication. (p. 28)

Question 56

Therapeutic index

Answer 56

The ratio between the toxic and therapeutic concentrations of a drug. (p. 30)

Question 57

Thin-film drug delivery

Answer 57

Drug products that dissolve in the mouth and are absorbed through the oral mucosa. (p. 18)

Question 58

Time-release technology

Answer 58

A technique used in tablets and capsules such that drug molecules are released in the patient’s gastrointestinal tract over an extended period. (p. 18)

Question 59

Tolerance

Answer 59

Reduced response to a drug after prolonged use. (p. 30)

Question 60

Toxic

Answer 60

The quality of being poisonous (i.e., injurious to health or dangerous to life). (p. 17)

Question 61

Toxicity

Answer 61

The condition of producing adverse bodily effects due to poisonous qualities. (p. 28)

Question 62

Toxicology

Answer 62

The study of poisons, including toxic drug effects, and applicable treatments. (p. 17)

Question 63

Trade name

Answer 63

The commercial name given to a drug product by its manufacturer; also called the proprietary name. (p. 16)

Question 64

Trough level

Answer 64

The lowest concentration of a drug reached in
the body after it falls from its peak level, usually measured in a blood sample for therapeutic drug monitoring.
(p. 28)