General Terms Flashcards
Dose
Amount of drug or treatment given or taken at one time
Effective dose
Amount of drug necessary to produce a therapeutic effect
Same as therapeutic dose
Toxic dose
Amount of a drug necessary to produce untoward effects or symptoms of poisoning
Lethal dose
Amount of drug that will cause death
Therapeutic dose
Amount of drug necessary to produce a therapeutic effect
Same as effective dose
Therapeutic index
The lethal dose divided by the effective dose
Indicated the margin of safety
Larger index is desirable
Bioavailability
Amount of drug available at the target
Percent of drug reaching the bloodstream in a form that has an effect
Half-life
Elimination half-time
Time required to eliminate half the amount of a given drug from the body that was present at the beginning of the time period
Steady state
Reached within 5 half-lives if a medication is re-administered
Additive effects
When the combined effects of 2 or more drugs administered at the same time is equal to the sum of their individual effects
Antagonistic effect
When two or more drugs are given together and the combined effects are less than the sum of the individual effects
Synergistic effects
When the combined effect of two or more drugs administered at the same time is greater than the sum of their individual effects
Potentiation
The increase in effectiveness that is seen when a drug that has no effectiveness by itself increases the effectiveness of a different drug
Teratogenic
Causing birth defects
Official drug name
Name used in the official drug reference for a particular drug
Chemical drug name
Name describing the exact chemical composition of a drug
Generic drug name
Original name (for older drugs) or the “code” name given during the testing phase of the drug (for newer drugs)
May become the official name
NOT indicating a therapeutic equivalency
Trade drug name
Brand name
Proprietary name
Copyrighted name for a drug, the use of which is restricted to a single company
Copyrighted name can be renewed (unlike the patent)
Local drug activity
Drug action occurring only at the site of application
May be toxic if absorbed systemically
Systemic drug activity
Action of a drug that is absorbed and then distributed throughout the body
May be on whole body or on a specific target organ
Drug administration through skin
Primarily for local action
May have a systemic effect if the skin is broken
Drug administration through nasal mucosa
For local and systemic action
Over-administration may lead to toxic systemic absorption
Drug administration through inhalation
Can be local (antibiotics) or systemic (anesthetics)
Genitourinary drug administration
Primarily for local action
May have a systemic effect if mucosal lining is traumatized
Oral drug administration benefits
Primarily for systemic action
Convenient form of administration
Safe, often taking 1 - 1.5 hours to see an effect
Cost-effective
Absorption rate can be controlled by timing around food intake
Effects of taking oral drugs before meals
Quick absorption
The drug is more easily destroyed
Effects of taking drugs with meals
Food protects the GI tract from drug irritation
Effects of taking drugs after meals
Slow absorption
Oral drug administration contraindications
Not effective if patient vomiting or unconscious (requires cooperation)
Drug can be too irritating
Drug may not reach blood stream in high enough concentration (not absorbed, destroyed by enzymes or destroyed by the liver)
Sublingual and buccal drug administration
Primarily for systemic action
Drugs not processed by liver nor digestive enzymes
Drug will be both swallowed and absorbed by vasculature
Rectal drug administration
Primarily for systemic action
Drugs not processed by liver nor digestive enzymes
Drugs that are irritating to the stomach will not come into contact with the stomach
Can be used in unconscious or uncooperative patients
Intradermal injection
Administered just below the skin
Not common
Subcutaneous (hypodermic) injection
Administered between the skin and muscle layers
Only small amounts can be given
May irritate at the injection site
Likely to come into contact with blood vessels or nerve endings
Intramuscular injection
Administered within the muscle layer Large amounts can be given Irritation unlikely to cause necrosis Unlikely to come into contact with blood vessels or nerve endings Watery substances absorbed quickly Suspensions absorbed slowly
Intravenous injection
Rapid administration
High risk of hazard
Intraspinal injection
Epidural
Subdural
Subarachnoid
Intraarticular injection
Injection into the joint
For local effect
Efficacy
Maximum effect produced by a drug
Potency
Amount of drug necessary to produce a pharmacological effect
Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.)
Established in 1973
Controls distribution and sale of all drugs (including marketing)
Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.)
Supervises and controls research and manufacture of all drugs
Therapeutic effect
The effect for which a drug is administered
Side effect
Any effect of a drug other than the one for which the drug was administered
Untoward effect
A side effect regarded as harmful or very unpleasant to the individual
Pharmacology
The study of drugs and their interactions with living organisms
Pharmacotherapeutics
The branch of pharmacology concerned with drugs used to prevent disorders and treat disease
Pharmacodynamics
The branch of pharmacology concerned with drug mechanisms of action and observable effects, both biochemical and physiological
Pharmacokinetics
The branch of pharmacology concerned with the movement of drugs through the body (absorption, distribution, metabolism/biotransformation and excretion)
Toxicology
The study of harmful effects of drugs
Clinical testing
Phase 1
Use healthy volunteers
Record any data on purity, bioavailability, potency, efficacy, safety and toxicity
Clinical testing
Phase 2
Use a few volunteers who need the drug therapeutically
Monitor safety and toxicity, record data on potency, efficacy, side effects and risks
Clinical testing
Phase 3
Use a large number of volunteers who need the drug therapeutically
See more rare adverse effects
Provides more data on effectiveness and safety
Clinical testing
Phase 4
Voluntary monitoring of drug through the first few years of use
Placebo
An inactive substance given to satisfy a patient’s demand for medicine or as part of an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new drug
Double blind experiment
Experiment in which neither the patient nor the investigator knows who has received the placebo or the test treatment
Crossover study
Experiment in which the order of drug administration is randomized (some patients get placebo, some get control, then they are switched)
