Pharmacokinetics Flashcards
What are some drug related problems? (8)
- untreated indication (pt not receiving a drug for that indication)
- improper drug selection
- sub-therapeutic dosage
- failure to receive drug (the pt has a problem which is the result of him/her not receiving the drug)
- over dosage
- Adverse drug reaction (the pt has a med prob that is a result of an adverse rxn of a drug being received)
- Drug interactions (pt has a prob: result of drug-drug/drug-food, drug-lab interaction)
- Drug use without indication (pt receiving drug for no med valid indication)
What is the British National Formulary?
Source of drug info:
- comprehensive, impartial, easy to access
- contains most drugs that are locally available
- generic drug name is the same (as opposed to US)
- in most cases trade name is the same
- published every 6 months
What is a drug?
- Any substance, other than a normal constituent of the body or one that is required for normal bodily function, (e.g., food, water, oxygen) that, when applied or introduced into a living organism, has the effect of altering the body functions
- This alteration may be useful in treating a disease(therapeutic effect) or may cause disease (toxicity).
What is the difference between a drug and a medicine?
Drug: single chemical entity that may be one of the constituents of a medicine
Medicine: may contain one or more active ingredients (drugs) together with additives to facilitate administratn
Why do we need medications? (7)
- to cure a disease/ condition (infection)
- to slow/arrest symptoms (HIV-AIDS)
- to treat symptoms (pain - analgesia)
- to control a disease - chronic disease (asthma/ cardiovascular)
- to prevent diseases (vaccines)
- to improve health/ correct a deficiency (e.g. vitamins)
- to improve lifestyle (erectile dysfunction)
Who is involved with medicines and the patient? (7)
Patients Doctors Pharmacists Nurses Other HCP's Carers Relatives
What do those involved with meds and patient need to know? (4)
- be well versed about meds
- know how to handle meds
- transmit/ have same message information
- be alert to identifying drug related probs
What is bio-availability?
the proportion (fraction) of administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation in the unchanged form.
What does distribution in pharmacokineticscs mean?
The process by which the drug diffuses or is transferred from the intravascular space to the extravascular space (body tissues)
(in blood, a proportion of the drug is bound to plasma protein)
What does the term ‘free drug’ mean?
The free drug is the proportion of the drug which is unbound to plasma protein and is distributed to the tissues.
It is the free drug which has the clinical effect (+ve therapeutic effect and -ve effects : side effects)
What does ‘clinical effect’ mean?
It is the free drug (unbound drug) which has the clinical effect (+ve therapeutic effect and -ve effects : side effects)
What does hepatoenteric blood circulation mean?
First passes through liver and then to blood stream
What is the ‘therapeutic range’?
- The range in which the drug works safely
- if peak concentration goes above the therapeutic range then it goes into the toxic range
- Adverse effects are experienced in the therapeutic range
What is an ‘adverse drug reaction’?
Any response to a drug which is noxious and unintended and which occurs at doses normally used in man for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy
What are the effects of ADRs?
- 2%-6% of hospital admissions
- increased needs for primary healthcare and an increase in the no. of complications during hospitalization in as many as 10% to 20% of patients
- 4th commonest cause of death
- increase in length of hospital stays and cost of patient care
- adverse effects on patients’ quality of life and confidence in healthcare
- mimicry of disease resulting in unnecessary investigations and/or delay in appropriate treatment
