Pharmacology, Drug Class, and Body Systems

Question 1

The study of the movement of drugs through the body

Answer 1

Pharmacokinetics (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion)

Question 2

The study of the effects of drugs’ actions on

Answer 2

Pharmacodynamics

Question 3

Terms that are named for the person who discovered the illness or procedure?

Answer 3

Eponyms

Question 4

Error-prone abbreviation

Answer 4

U, ug, QD, Hs, QOD, SC or SQ

Question 5

Error-prone symbols

Answer 5

Trailing zeros and naked decimals

Question 6

Trailing zeros

Answer 6

Medication written as 5.0 mg can be easily misinterpreted as 50 mg.

The recommendation, in this case, is to write the medication dose as 5 mg.

Question 7

Naked decimals

Answer 7

Medication written as .5 mg can be easily misinterpreted as 5 mg if the decimal is unclear.

Instead, the dose should be written as 0.5 mg.

Question 8

Drug Nomenclature

Answer 8

Chemical name, generic name, brand name.

Question 9

The FDA defines drugs as these items:

Answer 9

. A substance recognized by an official
pharmacopeia or formulary
. A substance intended for use in the
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or
prevention of disease
. A substance (other than food) intended
to affect the structure or any function of
the body

Question 10

Chemical Name

Answer 10

Long scientific name that represents a drug’s
molecular structure.

Question 11

Generic Name

Answer 11

Nonproprietary name of the drug that isn’t
protected by patent or trademark.

Question 12

Brand Name

Answer 12

Name given by a manufacturer that holds
proprietary ownership, or patent, of the drug.

Question 13

Dosage Forms

Answer 13

Oral, parenteral, Topical, other

Question 14

Therapeutic Equivalence

Answer 14

when two drugs have the same clinical effect.

Question 15

Bioequivalent

Answer 15

both drugs are equally effective and safe, and are equally absorbed when taken in the body.

Question 16

The Orange Book

Answer 16

The FDA keeps a list of all therapeutic equivalents in a book called the Orange Book.

Question 17

Pharmaceutical Alternatives

Answer 17

they have the same active ingredient, but are different strengths or dosage forms.

Question 18

Therapeutic Interchange

Answer 18

occurs when a patient’s drug is substituted with a drug that has a different chemical makeup but the same result.

Question 19

Before prescribing drugs, a physician must know which of
the following aspects that relate to the medicine?

Answer 19

What will the drug do to the body?
Will the drug have any side effects?
What will the body do with the drug?
How much of the drug is required by the body?

Question 20

Pharmaceutics

Answer 20

The specific dosage form of a medication is designed to achieve
maximum benefit and to avoid side effects.

Question 21

Therapeutics

Answer 21

Drugs have effects,
which lead to treatment
of disease.

Question 22

Bioavailability

Answer 22

Only a portion of the drug
enters the bloodstream and
affects the body.

Question 23

Passive Diffusion

Answer 23

Movement of drug molecules from an area of high
concentration of the drug to an area of low concentration
Doesn’t require energy
Example: Respiratory gases like oxygen

Question 24

Facilitated Diffusion

Answer 24

Uses special carrier protein molecules to move drugs
across the membrane
Does not require energy
Example: Glucose

Question 25

Active Transport

Answer 25

Requires energy or ATP to move drug molecules
across cell membrane
Movement occurs in one direction
Can move from lower concentration to higher
Less common method
Example: Sodium/potassium pump
needed to transport amino acids, sugars, and
lipids.

Question 26

Bulk Transport

Answer 26

Phagocytosis (“Cell eating”)
Pinocytosis (“Cell drinking”)

Question 27

Phagocytosis (“Cell eating”)

Answer 27

Cell membrane physically engulfing the drug molecule
Example: White blood cell engulfing an invading bacterium

Question 28

Pinocytosis (“Cell drinking”)

Answer 28

Drug molecules are surrounded and brought into the cell.
Example: Vitamin B12 in the GI tract

Question 29

Metabolism

Answer 29

Enzymes alter drugs in the liver (biotransformation) Preapares drug for excretion

Question 30

Excretion

Answer 30

Excretion is a process by
which drugs are removed
from the body.
The process of drug removal is
also known as elimination.
This is the final step in pharmacokinetics.
Most elimination occurs in the kidneys and
into the urine.
Clearance is the rate at which drugs leave
the body.
Clearance is varied and is measured by
half-life elimination.

Question 31

Half-Life Elimination:

Answer 31

Term used to describe how long it takes for the drug
concentration to decrease by 50%.

Question 32

Distribution

Answer 32

impacted by blood flow to the affected area,
cell membrane permeability, and the chemical properties of
drugs.

Question 33

Agonist Chemicals

Answer 33

A chemical that binds to the receptor and elicits an appropriate response

Question 34

Antagonist Chemicals

Answer 34

A chemical that binds to the receptor but elicits no response and blocks access to the receptor by an agonist

Question 35

Therapeutic Effects

Answer 35

Intended effect:
Local Effects
Decreasing inflammation at site of injury
Treating itchiness

Systemic Effects
Reducing fever
Lowering cholesterol
Reducing blood pressure

Question 36

Therapeutic window (therapeutic index)

Answer 36

The range between the specific drug concentration needed to produce a desirable therapeutic
effect and the concentration that will cause toxicity

Question 37

Adverse Effects

Answer 37

Negative effects of a drug:

These may occur even when taken as prescribed
at normal therapeutic dosages.

Nausea
Vomiting
Headache
Aches and pains

Toxicity:
Toxicity may also cause side effects.

Question 38

Toxicity:

Answer 38

Harmful effect of a drug that occurs
when plasma concentration is higher than the
recommended therapeutic level.

Question 39

Factors Affecting Drug Actions

Answer 39

Types of Effects
Patient demographics
Genetic factors
Associated diseases
Psychological factors
Route of administration
Patient compliance (example: taking all
doses as prescribed)
Environmental factors

Question 40

Drug Interactions

Answer 40

is the result of a drug being taken with another substance that may change the drug’s intended effects. (Synergistic, Antagonistic)

Question 41

Synergistic

Answer 41

When a drug and another substance are taken together, the combined effect is greater than the effect of each taken separately.

Question 42

Antagonistic

Answer 42

When a drug and another substance are taken together, the combined effect is less than the effect of each taken separately. The two substances interfere with each other.