Chapter 8: Pharmacology Flashcards
What is pharmacology?
The study of drugs, their actions on the body, and how the body processes them.
What is pharmacokinetics?
The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes drugs.
What is pharmacodynamics?
The study of how drugs affect the body, including mechanisms of action and therapeutic effects.
What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist?
An agonist activates receptors to produce a biological response, while an antagonist blocks receptors to inhibit a response.
What is the therapeutic index of a drug?
The ratio between a drug’s effective dose and its toxic dose, indicating its safety margin.
What is first-pass metabolism?
The process where a drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing its bioavailability.
How does the cytochrome P450 system affect drug metabolism?
It consists of liver enzymes that metabolize drugs, influencing their effectiveness and risk of interactions.
What is the half-life of a drug?
The time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the bloodstream to decrease by half.
What is bioavailabilitty?
The proportion of a drug that enters systemic circulation and is available to produce effects.
What are the four main routes of drug administration?
Oral, intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC).
What is a prodrug?
A medication that is inactive until metabolized into an active form in the body.
What is a graded dose-response curve?
A graph showing the relationship between drug dose and the magnitude of its effect.
What is a quantal dose-response curve?
A graph showing the percentage of a population that responds to a drug at various doses.
What is the role of receptors in pharmacology?
Receptors are protein molecules that drugs bind to in order to elicit a biological response.
How do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) work?
They block the reabsorption of serotonin, increasing its availability in the brain to improve mood.
What are Type A adverse drug reactions?
Predictable and dose-dependent reactions, such as side effects or toxicity.
What are Type B adverse drug reactions?
Unpredictable and not dose-dependent, often caused by allergic reactions or genetic differences.
What is enterohepatic circulation?
The recycling of drugs and metabolites between the liver and the intestines, prolonging their presence in the body.
What are common CYP450 inhibitors, and how do they affect drugs?
Substances like grapefruit juice can inhibit CYP450 enzymes, increasing drug levels and risk of toxicity.
What are common CYP450 inducers, and how do they affect drugs?
Substances like rifampin increase CYP450 activity, reducing drug levels and effectiveness.
What is drug tolerance?
A reduced response to a drug over time, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect.
What is drug dependence?
A condition where the body adapts to a drug, leading to withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped abruptly.
What is the DEA’s role in regulating drugs?
The DEA classifies drugs into schedules based on their potential for abuse and medical use.
What is the difference between Schedule I and Schedule II drugs?
Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical use and high abuse potential, while Schedule II drugs have medical uses but also high abuse potential.
