General Principles of Pharmacology Flashcards
Adverse Reaction
Undesirable drug effect
Allergic Reaction
Immediate hypersensitive reaction by the immune system; it presents as itching, gives, swelling, and difficulty breathing
Anaphylactic Shock
Sudden, severe hypersensitivity reaction with symptoms that progress rapidly and may result in death of not treated;
Angioedema
Localized wheals or swellings in subcutaneous tissue or mucous membranes, which may be due to an allergic response;
Absorption
A drug is moved from the site of administration to body fluids; first process during pharmacokinetics.
Controlled Substance
Drugs that have the potential for abuse and dependency, both physical and psychological
Cumulative Drug Effect
When the body is unable to metabolize and excrete one dose of a drug before the next is given
Distribution
Drug moves from circulation to body tissue or a target site
Drug Idiosyncrasy
Any unusual or abnormal response that differs from the response normally expected to a specific drug and dosage
Drug Tolerance
Decreased response to a drug, requiring an increase in dosage to achieve the desired effect
Excretion
Elimination of a drug from the body
First-Pass Effect
Action by which an oral drug is absorbed and carried directly to the liver, where it is inactivated by enzymes before it enters the general bloodstream
Half-Life
Time required for the body to eliminate 50% of a drug
Herbal Medicine
Type of complementary/alternative therapy uses plants or herbs to treat various disorders
Hypersensitivity
Undesirable reaction produced by a normal immune system
Metabolism
Drug changed to a form that can be excreted
Metabolite
Inactive form of the original drug
Nonprescription Drugs
Drugs that are designated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration to be safe and obtainable without a prescription
Pharmaceutic
Pertaining to the phase during which a drug dissolves in the body
Pharmacodynamics
Study of the drug mechanisms that produce biochemical or physiologic changes in the body
Pharmacokinetics
Study of drug transit (activity) after administration
Physical Dependency
Habitual use of a drug, where negative physical withdrawal symptoms result from abrupt discontinuation
Prescription Drugs
Drugs that the federal government has designated as potentially harmful unless their use is supervised by a licensed health care provider
Psychological Dependency
Compulsion or craving to use a substance to obtain a pleasurable experience
Receptor
In pharmacology, a reactive site on the surface of a cell; when a drug binds to and interacts with the receptor, a pharmacological response occurs
Teratogen
Drug or substance that causes abnormal development of fetus, leading to deformities
Toxic
Poisonous or harmful
Nonprescription Drugs
Drugs that are designated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration to be safe and obtainable without a prescription
Pharmaceutic
Pertaining to the phase during which a drug dissolves in the body
Pharmacodynamics
Study of the drug mechanisms that produce biochemical or physiologic changes in the body
Pharmacokinetics
Study of drug transit (activity) after administration
Physical Dependency
Habitual use of a drug, where negative physical withdrawal symptoms result from abrupt discontinuation
Prescription Drugs
Drugs that the federal government has designated as potentially harmful unless their use is supervised by a licensed health care provider
Psychological Dependency
Compulsion or craving to use a substance to obtain a pleasurable experience
Receptor
In pharmacology, a reactive site on the surface of a cell; when a drug binds to and interacts with the receptor, a pharmacological response occurs
Teratogen
Drug or substance that causes abnormal development of fetus, leading to deformities
Toxic
Poisonous or harmful
