Pharmacokinetics

Question 1

What are the four basic factors that determine drug pharmacokinetics?

Answer 1

Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Elimination

Question 2

What is Tmax?

Answer 2

Time to peak concentration

Question 3

What is Cmax?

Answer 3

Peak concentration

Question 4

What is the AUC?

Answer 4

Area under the drug concentration-time curve

Question 5

What does the AUC represent?

Answer 5

The amount of drug which reaches the systemic circulation

Question 6

How does increasing the dose affect Tmax?

Answer 6

No effect on Tmax

Question 7

How does increasing the dose affect Cmax?

Answer 7

Increases Cmax

Question 8

What is the therapeutic range?

Answer 8

Range of concentrations over which a drug is active

Question 9

What happens above the therapeutic range?

Answer 9

Toxicity occurs

Question 10

What happens below the therapeutic range?

Answer 10

Insufficient/no pharmacological action

Question 11

What percentage of availability does a drug given intravenously have?

Answer 11

100%

Question 12

What kind of factors can affect bioavailability?

Answer 12

Formulation (i.e. slow release preparations)
Ability of drug to pass physiological barriers
Gastrointestinal effects
First pass metabolism

Question 13

Name a few ways that a drug can be transported across membranes

Answer 13

Passive diffusion
Filtration
Bulk flow
Active transport
Facilitated diffusion
Ion-pair transport
Endocytosis

Question 14

What is first pass metabolism?

Answer 14

Metabolism of drug prior to reaching systemic circulation