Mod 3 - Building a Foundation Flashcards
pharmacology
science dealing with actions of drugs on the body
pharmacokinetics
how a body deals with medications
absorption
occurs after entering body and traveling from site admin into circulation
distribution
medications are distributed throughout the body
metabolism
breakdown of a drug molecule
excretion
process by which the body eliminates waste
pharmacodynamics
effects of drugs in the body and mechanism of their action
affinity
strength of binding between drug and receptor
bioavailability
ability of a drug/chemical to be taken up by the body and make available in the tissue where needed
pharmacogenetics
study of how genes affect response to medications
first pass effect
PO drugs get into the blood from intestine and some will be broken down by the liver - this avoided with dermal, nasal, inhalation, injection, IV (no absorption)
drug agonist
binds to receptor and produces its characteristic effect
drug antagonist
prevents the action of another molecule, often by competing for the receptor
efficacy
max. effect the drug is capable of
dose-response
as dose increases, response should increase
onset
when the med begins to take effect
peak
max concentration of medication in the body
duration
length of time a medication produces its desired therapeutic effect
therapeutic window
dosing window in which the safest and most effective treatment will occur
titrated
start slow and monitor and increase to appropriate level
trough
drug is at its lowest in the bloodstream (before next dose)
therapeutic index
a measurement of the amount of drug that produces a therapeutic effect compared to the amount of drug that is toxic
high therapeutic index - large window (safe)
low therapeutic index - small window (risky)
potency
drug dose required to produce a specific intensity of effect
selectivity
separation between desired and undesired effect of a drug