FP-C #7 Flashcards
Qualitative tests
analysis that can identify whether or not a substance is present (uses colors)
Inotropic
process that influences the contractility of muscular tissue (can be positive or negative)
Chronotropic
process that influences the heart rate (can be positive or negative)
First-order elimination
characterized by a medication’s rate of elimination being dependent on its concentration in plasma
First-pass effect
the initial metabolism in the liver of a drug absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract before the drug reaches systemic circulation through the bloodstream
Sympathomimetic
medication that mimics the effects of the sympathetic nervous system
Tolerance
the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a medication
Mechanism of action
explains how a drug works and produces its desirable and sometime undesirable effects
Interference
a direct biochemical interaction between two drugs
Idiosyncrasy
an abnormal reaction to a medication that most persons DO NOT experience
Therapeutic index
the ratio between the toxic and therapeutic concentrations of a drug
Half-life
the time required to eliminate half of the amount of the medication from the plasma
Drug interaction
alteration in the pharmacologic activity of a given drug caused by the presence of one or more additional drugs
Depolarizing agents
medications that cause neuromuscular blockake by binding and briefly activating receptor sites at the neuromuscular junction, preventing further activation of these sites and causing chemical paraylsis
Duration of action
the length of time the concentration of a drug in the blood or tissues is sufficient to elicit a pharmacological response
Drug antagonism
the interaction between two drugs where one partially or completely inhibits the effects of the other
Onset of action
the time required for a drug to elicit a therapeutic response after dosing
Non-depolarizing agents
medications designed to cause paralysis with stimulating the neuromuscular junction
Bioavailibility
subcategory of absorption (the percentage of the admin drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation)
Pharmacokinetics
the study of the movement of drugs and their metabolites through the body from absorption to excretion
Iatrogenic response
an adverse condition inadvertently induced in a patient by the treatment given.
Inhibition
phenomenon characterized by the presence of one medication decreasing the effect of another
Acetylcholine
the neurotransmitter substance that is released at the synapses of parasympathetic nerves and at neuromuscular junctions
Cross-tolerance
tolerance for a medication one has not taken before as a result of using another medication in the same drug class
Potentiation
drug interaction that occurs when the effect of one medication is increased by another medication
Synergism
when combination of two drugs causes an effect that is greater than the sum of the individual effects of each drug alone
Pharmacodynamics
the study of interactions between drugs and their receptors and the series of events that result in a pharmacologic response
Dromotropic
process that influences the conduction velocity of nerve or muscle fibers (can be positive or negative)
Cumulative effect
the increasing response to repeated doses of a drug that occurs when the rate of administration exceeds the rate of metabolism or excretion
Quantitative test
analysis that can identify quantity or actual number counts (uses numbers)
Vaughan-Williams classification scheme
used to organize arrhythmic medications
Tachyphylaxis
reduction in drug responsiveness brought on by repeated dosing over a short time
Nicotinic receptors
cholinergic receptors that bind with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
Side effects
effects of medications other than the desired medical effects
Summation effect
the process whereby multiple medications can produce a response that the individual medications alone do not produce
Minimum effective dose
the lowest amount of a medication that is able to produce the desired effect (aka therapeutic dose)
Steady state
when the rate of medication administration equals the rate of medication elimination
Termination of action
the amount of time between the point the medication’s concentration falls below the minimum effective level through when it is eliminated from the body
