General Pharmacology Flashcards
What is one important task that vet techs carry out?
administration of drugs to animals on the order of a veterinarian
What knowledge should techs have on the drugs they use?
reasons for using the drugs (indications), situations the drug should not be used (contradictions), routes (drug administration), what happens when the drug enters the body (pharmokinetics), how drugs exert their effects (pharmodynamics), side effects
What is the legal aspect of pharmacology?
veterinarian-client-patient relationship
What is Pharmacotherapeutics?
the study of the therapeutic uses and effects of drugs
What is a drug regimen?
the plan for administering a drug (i.e. - 20# Clavamox (62.5mg) 1 tab PO BID x 10 days)
What does a regimen include?
route of administration, total amount given (dose), frequency of administration, duration of use
What are prescription drugs?
when a drug has potential toxic effects or must be administered in a way that requires trained personnel, that drug cannot be approved for animal use except under veterinarian supervision
What are controlled drugs?
drugs with potential for abuse or dependency need careful records of inventory use
What is extra-label use?
use of a drug in a way not specified on the label
What are over the counter medications?
drugs without potential to be toxic and do not require special administration
What is Pharmakinetics?
the study of the bodily absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
What is steady state/distribution equilibrium?
when drug accumulation = drug elimination
What is therapeutic drug monitoring?
monitoring drug levels in the body (i.e. - Phenobarb levels)
What factors influence blood concentrations?
rate and route of administration, amount absorbed, drug distribution throughout the body, drug metabolism/biotransformation, rate and route of excretion
Where does drug metabolism/biotransformation occur?
in the liver
Where does drug excretion occur?
liver and kidney (kidney most common)
What are the routes of administration?
oral, paraenteral, topical, inhalation
What are some way of parenteral administration?
IV, IM, SQ, ID, IP, IA, IC, intraarticular, intramedullary, epidural
What is ID?
intradermal - injecting into the skin
What is IP?
intraperitoneal - delivers drugs into abdominal cavity, can be used administer fluids and some medications if other routes not available
What is IA?
intraarterial
What is intraarticular?
injection into joint
What is IC?
intracardiac - injection into heart chamber
What is intramedullary?
injection into bone marrow
What is an epidural?
spinal anesthesia
How does a drug move through the body?
after a drug is given (except topical), it makes its way into the bloodstream (absorption), then to its intended tissue (distribution)
What happens when a drug reaches it target tissue?
either has receptor or non-receptor mediated effect
Drug elimination usually requires _______________.
biotransformation and excretion
What are metabolites?
resulting drug components after biotransformation and excretion
What is pharmacodynamics?
the study of the mechanisms by which drugs produce physiological changes in the body
How do drugs “work”?
drug molecules combine with components of the cell membrane or with the internal components of cells to cause alterations in cell function ——-> works like a lock and key
What is affinity?
tendency of a drug to bind to a receptor
What is an agonist?
high level affinity
What is an antagonist?
a drug that blocks another drug from combining with a receptor
What is efficacy?
represent the degree to which a drug produces a response in a patient
What is therapeutic index?
relationship between drugs ability to achieve desired effect and tendency to cause toxic effects (expressed as a ratio), quantitates margin of safety
What is an adverse drug event?
harm to patient caused by administration of a drug
What is a drug interaction?
a pharmacologic response to a drug that is caused by the presence of a second drug
What is a pharmacokinetic interaction?
absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion changed by another drug
What is a pharmacodynamic interaction?
the action or effect of one drug is altered by another
What is a pharmaceutic interaction?
physical or chemical reaction between drugs from mixing of drugs in syringe
What is a generic name?
nonproprietary name of a drug
What is a trade name?
proprietary name of a drug
What regulatory agencies control the development and approval of new drugs?
FDA, EPA, and USDA
What drugs do the FDA regulate?
animal drugs and feed additives
What drugs do the EPA regulate?
topical pesticides
What drugs do the USDA regulate?
vaccines, serum, antitoxins
What is the process of making a new drugs?
preliminary trials, preclinical trials, clinical trials, submission of a new animal drug, final review by FDA, product monitoring
What is the Green Book?
list of all animal drug products that have been approved by the FDA for safety and effectiveness
What is the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act?
made extra label use of drugs legal under specific well-defined conditions, also prohibits or restricts extra label use in farm animals of the agency finds that such presents health risk to public
What is the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act?
provides FDA authorized drugs for those less common species and indications
What is the AVMA’s preferred way to disposed of unwanted drugs?
incineration
