Lecture 1 - basics

Question 1

What is a narcotic?

Answer 1

Substances that relieve pain and cause sleep

Question 2

What is a depressant?

Answer 2

Substances that depress the CNS and can cause loss of coordination, impairment of judgement and sleep

Question 3

What is a stimulant?

Answer 3

Substance that stimulates the CNS. Feelings of wakefulness, decreased fatigue, decreased appetite, and general well-being.

Question 4

What is a hallucinogen?

Answer 4

Substances that alter vision and auditory, and produce hallucinations.

Question 5

What does ADME standard for?

Answer 5

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination

Question 6

What is effected by administration?

Answer 6

Bioavailability, a measure of how much of the drug passes the “first pass metabolism” and distributed into the body

Question 7

What are the bio availabilities of each absorption route?

Answer 7

-Intravenous is 100% as goes straight to blood stream
-Intramuscular is less
-Oral is also lower as it has to be digested first
-Inhalation is high as it doesn’t undergo metabolism, passes to the lungs into bloodstream

Question 8

What can effect bioavailability?

Answer 8

-Ph
-Concentration
-Solubility
-Surface area
-Blood flow

Question 9

What is distribution?

Answer 9

Transfer of a substance from one part of the body to another. Adm can effect this.

Question 10

What is metabolism?

Answer 10

Process by which the structure is altered to facilitate removal from the body. Due to action of enzymes, example of a chemical transformation is oxidation.

Question 11

What metabolic transformations can happen?

Answer 11

• Active drug to an inactive
  -Active drug to another active one
  -Production of toxic drug
  -Inactive drug to active

Question 12

What is elimination?

Answer 12

The final removal of and their by products, via kidney and liver.

Question 13

What is the active site?

Answer 13

The site where the drug acts. All drugs have different side effects as they can potentially act in sights other than their target sites.

Question 14

How do drugs interact?

Answer 14

• With enzymes, ion channels and carrier molecules but mostly at receptors.
  -The function of a receptor is to allow naturally occurring neurotransmitters to create functions within the body.

Question 15

How do drugs interact at receptors?

Answer 15

-Agonist which stimulate the receptor to increase biochemical process.
-Antagonist blocks the receptor (inhibits) to decrease biochemical process.

Question 16

What are the main effects of taking drugs?

Answer 16

-Positive reinforcement
-Negative reinforcement (withdrawal)
-Large doses required due to repeated use is tolerance.
-Escalation of a drug is an overdose.

Question 17

Whatare the different kind of withdrawl methods?

Answer 17

-“Cold turkey” the person just tries to stop.
-Gradual withdrawal - example is methadone which mirrors the effects, make effects less intense
-Support medication - stopped suddenly but given medication (antid) too help.