Drug calculation

Question 1

what dose strategy is used when patients are in severe pain or are in emergencies.

Answer 1

Firstly, a a large dosage (loading dose) is administered to patient to achieve a steady-state quickly. Later, to maintain plasma concentration of the drug, a smaller dose (maintenance dose) is given.

Question 2

What is the plasma half-life

Answer 2

The time taken for the drug concentration in plasma to be reduced to half of its original value.

Question 3

what is the importance of half-life

Answer 3

1. To estimate the dosing schedule of a drug moiety

2. Defines the time intervals between the doses and is very important to design the infusion systems

Question 4

what is elimination half life

Answer 4

Time taken for the amount of drug in the body and plasma concentration, to decline by eliminating from the body to one half or 50% of its initial value

Question 5

what is dose and dosage

Answer 5

Dose is the amount of a drug or product that is administered at a time
Dosage is the amount of drug per unit weight of the individual

Question 6

what are the advantages of drug response curves (DRC) 2

Answer 6

1. A wide range of drug doses and responses can be easily derived from a graph.
2. Comparison between agonists, partial agonists and study of antagonists becomes easier.

Question 7

Uses of DRC. (5)

Answer 7

1. To identify the therapeutic dose/concentration
2. To define the site of drug action.
3. DRC is used to classify the effect produced by drug-receptor interaction.
4. It is mainly used to compare the relative potency and efficacy of drugs of the same category that produce the same effect.
5. It is used as an important tool to assess the mechanism of drug interactions

Question 8

uses of Minimum inhibitory concentrations scores (MICs)

Answer 8

1. Selection of antibiotics.
2. Identification of their effective dose
3. Administration to the patients with specific infections.
4. Improving and preventing the evolution of drug resistant microbial strains.

Question 9

List the methods of testing the Standard protocol to perform testing of MIC (3)

Answer 9

1. Diffusion - Kirby-Bauer Method and stokes method.
2. Dilution - Tube dilution and Agar dilution method
3. Diffusion and Dilution - E-test

Question 10

Explain some of the properties that drugs that show saturation usually have

Answer 10

1. The elimination kinetics is non linear.
2. The elimination half life changes as the dose is increased
3. The area under the curve is the total integrated area under the plasma level-time profile and is mentioned as the total amount of drug in the systemic circulation.
4. The saturation of capacity-limited processes of one drug is affected by drug interactions of the same enzyme
5. The composition of the metabolites of a drug may be affected by changing the dosage.