ICL 8.3: Liver Dysfunction & Drug Interactions Flashcards
what are CYP450 enzymes?
enzymes essential for the production of cholesterol, steroids, prostacyclins, and more
they are also necessary for the detoxification of foreign chemicals and the metabolism of drugs.
what is a substrate?
chemical moiety that is target of metabolic enzymes
what are inducers?
a drug that increases the activity of certain CYP enzymes thus increasing the rate of metabolism of substrate drugs
when you induce the metabolism, you increase the rate of metabolism of the drug and decrease the drug level
what is an inhibitor?
a drug that decreases the activity of certain CYP enzymes thus decreasing the rate of metabolism of substrate drugs
when you inhibit the metabolism you increase the drug level
what are auto-inducers?
a drug that is both an inducer and a substrate of the same CYP enzyme thus over time it induces it own metabolism
example: carbamazepine induces CYP3A4 and is also a substrate
what is first pass metabolism?
the concentration of an orally administered drug is significantly reduced before it reaches the circulation
example: Insulin; this is why you can’t give insulin orally!
what is oral bioavailability?
the percent of active drug that reaches the circulation when a drug is administered orally
the oral bioavailability of levothyroxine is around 40% but can be increased to ~80% when administered on an empty stomach
what is ADME?
a pharmacokinetic acronym that describes the disposition of drugs in the body
it stands for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion.
what is pharmacokinetics?
the study of the ADME of drugs in the body
Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion
what is an active metabolite?
when a drug is transformed through metabolism into a pharmaceutically active entitt
example: morphine is an active metabolite of codeine
what is excretion?
the process by which drugs and their metabolites are eliminated from the body
the most common routes of excretion are urine and feces
what does it mean if a drug has a narrow therapeutic index?
a drug which has a narrow concentration window in which it is therapeutic
below the window and the drug is ineffective, above the window the drug produces toxic effect
example: warfarin
what is the common mechanisms of interaction between drugs?
common mechanisms of drug interactions:
- enzyme induction/inhibition
- P-glycoprotein modification
- opposing mechanisms
- additive mechanisms, drug displacement from binding site
- alterations in protein binding
ex. the interaction between sotalol and ondansetron is the additive mechanism on the QT Interval –> they both prolong the QT interval and when they’re given together it’s even worse
what does it mean if a drug interaction is concentration vs. dose dependent?
some interactions only occur when dosing thresholds are met or exceeded
ex. simvastatin and amlodipine interaction –> amlodipine can increase the serum concentration of simvastatin. This only becomes clinically significant at simvastatin doses >20mg
what does it mean if a drug interaction is contraindicated?
contraindicated drug interactions should be considered in the context of legal liability