Pharmacology Flashcards
What’s pharmacology?
Study of how
What do pharmacologists study?
Interactions that occur between living organisms and drugs that affect normal/abnormal function
What does pharmacology involve the study of ?
Drug compositions and properties
Drug interactions and toxicology
Medical uses of drugs
What’s pharmacodynamics ?
Interactions of chemicals with biological receptors
Pharmacokinetics?
Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs
Pharmacy is the study of ?
Preparation, dispensing, dosage and the safe and effective use of medicines
What do receptors have ?
Complex 3D structures that have ligand/drug binding site
What is an agonist drug?
They bind to and activate natural receptors causing changes in cell/biological functions
What’s antagonist drug?
Drugs that bind to but don’t activate receptors (such drugs are known as inhibitors or blockers)
What do natural Ligands include?
Neurotransmitters and hormones
What do competitive drugs do?
They displace natural ligands from their binding site causing dose dependent actions
What do non competitive drugs do?
They act via alternative mechanisms
What type of drug is morphine?
Agonist drug that inhibits pain
What is affinity?
The tendency of a drug to bind to a receptor (affinity constants can be calculated)
What’s an affinity constant (Ka)?
Represents the concentration of a drug that produces 50% of the effective dose of the drug
