Nuts and Bolts of therapeutics Flashcards
What are the four main goals of therapeutics?
Maximise effectiveness
Minimise harms
Avoid wasting health resources
Respect the persons choice
What is the definition of therapeutics?
treatment and care of a patient for the purpose of both preventing and combating disease
What is pharmacodynamics?
The study of the biochemical and pysiological effects of drugs on the body
What are the two ways that drugs and the body interact?
In non specific ways such as antacids neutrlising acids
In specific ways such as drugs working on particular receptors in the body e.g. GABA receptors
What are the three main things that drug receptor interactions depend on?
Chemical composition
Stereochemical disposition (chirality)
The ability of the drug to reach the receptor binding zone
What are some factors that affect drug affinity?
Other drugs
Age
Genetic mutations
What is drug selectivity?
The degree to which a drug acts on a certain site relative to other sites
What is drug selectivity?
The degree to which a drug acts on a certain site relative to other sites
What is drug efficacy?
The ability of the drug-receptor complex to produce a maximum functional response
What is a partial agonist?
A drug that binds to the receptor but does not have the full efficacy like an agonist
What is the potency of a drug?
The amount required to achieve an effect of a given intensity. Measurement of activity.
What is tolerance?
A decreased response with repeated doses
What are the potential mechanisms by which tolerance develops?
Decreased receptor numbers (downregulation)
Decreased receptor binding affinity
Decreased downstream response to the signal
What is a drug therapeutic index?
Ratio of the dose the produces toxicity to the dose that produces effective response
What are the three main routes of administration?
Topical
Enteral - through GI
Parenteral - non gi
