D.1 Pharmaceutical products and drug action

Question 1

What is metabolism?

Answer 1

Metabolism involves the functioning of the human body that is the result of thousands of different reactions

Question 2

What are the different types of damage our bodies can suffer from?

Answer 2

• injury
• genetic abnormalities
• environmental abnormalities
• accumulated changes with age

Question 3

What are drugs?

Answer 3

Drugs are chemicals that affect how the body works for better or for worse

Question 4

What are medicines?

Answer 4

Medicines are substances that improve health

Question 5

What is the therapeutic effect?

Answer 5

The beneficial effect of medicine

Question 6

What is oral administration and what are examples?

Answer 6

Taken by mouth

Tablets, capsules, pills, liquids

Question 7

What is inhalation administration and what are examples?

Answer 7

Vapour breathed in/smoking

Medications for asthma, drugs of abuse such as cocaine

Question 8

What is skin path administration and what are examples?

Answer 8

Absorbed directly into the blood

Oestrogen patches, nicotine

Question 9

What are suppositories administrations and what are examples?

Answer 9

Inserted into the rectum

Treatment of digestive illnesses and haemorrhoids

Question 10

What is eye/ear drop administration and what are examples?

Answer 10

Dropped into openings

Eye/ear infections

Question 11

What are parenteral administration and what are examples?

Answer 11

Intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous

Many vaccines, local anaesthetics, dental injections

Question 12

What is intramuscular?

Answer 12

Into the muscle

Question 13

What is intravenous?

Answer 13

Into the blood

Question 14

What is subcutaneous?

Answer 14

Under the skin

Question 15

What is bioavailability?

Answer 15

Bioavailability is the fraction of the administered dose that reaches the blood stream

Question 16

Why doesn’t 100% of the administered dose reach the bloodstream?

Answer 16

Because the drug may have been broken down by metabolic processes

Question 17

What type of drug administration is used for comparison in bioavailability and why?

Answer 17

Intravenous administration because it enters directly into the bloodstream

Question 18

What are the factors affecting bioavailability?

Answer 18

• Administration of the drug
• The solubility of the drug
• Functional groups on the drug
• The polarity of the drug

Question 19

Explain how the solubility of a drug affects its bioavailability?

Answer 19

Higher solubility increases bioavailability

Question 20

How do functional groups affect a drugs solubility?

Answer 20

Acid base groups will determine the charges carried on the drug at different pH values and its reactivity and solubility

Question 21

What are the best types of drug for crossing the brain blood barrier?

Answer 21

Non polar and lipid soluble drugs

Question 22

What are polar drugs good at entering?

Answer 22

Polar drugs are good at entering the aqueous environment of the bloodstream

Question 23

How does oral administration affect a drugs bioavailability?

Answer 23

Oral administration allows enzymes to change the drugs chemical composition

Question 24

What is tolerance?

Answer 24

Tolerance happens when repeated doses of a drug result in smaller physiological effects

Question 25

What is addiction?

Answer 25

Addiction happens when the dependency on a drug leads to withdrawal symptoms if it is withheld

Question 26

What are side effects?

Answer 26

Side effects are effects which are not intended and can vary between drugs

Question 27

Are side effects beneficial or more adverse?

Answer 27

They can be both

Question 28

What is the dosage regime?

Answer 28

The dosage regime of a drug is the specific quantity of the drug to be taken at one time and the frequency of administration

Question 29

What can cause dosages to vary between people?

Answer 29

• Age
• Gender
• Weight

Question 30

What must calculations for dosage account for?

Answer 30

Bioavailability and side effects