Introduction Flashcards
Pharmacology
study ofthe interactions of chemical substances (drugs) w/ living cells, tissues, and organisms.
Drug
any substance that when administered to a huan or animal produces a change in function and is used to diagnose or treat a disease.
Pharmacokinetics
the process of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
Pharmacodynamics
the action of durgs on target organs.
What is the goal of pharmacology?
To understand the mechanisms by which drugs interact w/ biologic systems to enable the rational use of effective agents in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Toxicology
Science of poisons and toxicity; harmful effects of drugs and chemicals and the mechanism of action that produce pathologic changes, disease, and death.
Pharmacotherapeutics
the use of drugs in treating disease; clinical trials determine the efficacy and safety of drug therapy in humans.
Pharmagenomics/pharmacogenetics
deals w/ the influence of genetic variation on drug response in patients by correlating gene expression or singe-nucleotide polymorphisms w/ a drug’s efficacy or toxicity.
Develop means to optimize drug therapy, w/ respect to the patient’s genotype
Maximum efficacy w/ minimal adverse effects
“personalize medicine”in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual’s unique genetic makeup.
Where do drugs come from?
Plants, microbes, animals, and minerals.
What are some plant sources of drugs?
analgesic, morphine, from poppy seeds
What are some microbe sources of drugs?
antibiotics
What are some animal sources of drugs?
hormones
Semisynthetic
synthesize and modify natural occurring compoiunds (structure-activity relationship)
What are some inert ingredients of tablets?
fillers, lubricants, adhesives, disintegrants.
What are 2 features of tablets?
1) Must disintegrate.
2) Dissolve before absorbed.
What is a major feature of enteric coated tablets?
They consist of polymers that won’t break down in stomach (low pH) but will break down in the intestine (higher pH).
Sometimes don’t work as fast, bypasses the stomach and gets absorbed into the intestine. Therefore, it reduces some stomach problems.
What are enteric coated tablets used for?
To protect drugs that would be destroyed by gastric acids or have an irritant effect on the stomach.
Also to slow release and absorption when a large dose is given at one time.
What is a sustained-release or extended-release product?
Releases the drug over many hours.
How are the mechanisms of sustained/extended release accomplished?
1) Controlled diffusion (regulated by rate-controlling membrane)
2) Controlled dissolution (regulated by inert polymers)
3) Osmotic pressure.
What are the 2 mechanisms of sustained release?
1) Water attracted by osmotic agent.
2) Forces drug out through small orifice (the pill has little holes)
What are elixirs?
Sweetened aqueous-alcohol solutions. If the drug does not dissolve in water alone, alcohol is added.