Pharmacology Principles 1 Flashcards
Drug Origin
-Any chemical can be considered a drug
-Drugs come from plants, animals, minerals, and most commonly synthetic sources
-Natural health products and over the counter drugs are not always safer (safety is not related to origin)
Natural/Biologic vs Synthetic Drugs
-Natural = plants, animals, minerals
-Synthetic = chemically developed
-Both = for the most part are made in laboratories
-Although most drugs in use today are synthetic drugs, over 50% of those had their beginnings as natural products
Safety, Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Side effects
-are functions of the chemical structure of the molecule, not it’s origin
-whether the drug is natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant
Many of the most toxic chemicals known are…
Natural products
-some of the safest most effective and widely used drugs are of synthetic origin
Synthetic drugs are less likely to cause …
-allergic reactions
Important to ask ..
-About what medications the patient takes, remind them to also include herbs, vitamins, and any other natural health products
Health Canada
Approves medications
-specifically a branch of health Canada called health products and food branch
Food and Drug Regulations
Over the counter (OTC) drugs are regulated by the food and drug regulations
National Association Scheduling Advisory Committee of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulating Authorities (NAPRA)
Sets out the level of professional intervention that is required for each type of medications
- all provinces except Quebec use this national drug schedule to ensure consistency across the country
Level of professional intervention required: Schedule 1
Prescription only
Level of professional intervention required: Schedule 2
Available only through a pharmacist and kept behind the counter
Level of professional intervention required: Schedule 3
Available only within a pharmacy but accessible to anyone
Level of professional intervention required: Unscheduled
Nonprescription drugs available over the counter at any store
Controlled drugs and substances act
-Canada’s federal drug control stature
-Controls drugs like narcotics and marijuana
-These drugs can be prescribed by healthcare providers in certain situations
-Schedules are different than this
-These drugs are labelled with a C (controlled) or N (narcotic)
OTC Labelling Include
- Indications for use
- Safety
- Practicality
Criteria for OTC Status: Indication for Use
-The consumer must be able to easily:
- Diagnose condition
- Monitor effectiveness
- Benefits of usage must outweigh the risk
Criteria for OTC status: Safety
-Drugs must have:
-Favourable adverse profile
-Limited interactions with other drugs
-Low potential for misuse
-Wide (high) therapeutic index
Criteria for OTC Status: Practicality
Drugs must be
-Easy to use and easy to monitor
Therapeutic Index
-Drugs with a high (wide) therapeutic index tend to be safer
-Drugs with a narrow therapeutic index are more dangerous (means they only have therapeutic benefits within a very small dosing range)
-a drug with a high/wide therapeutic index is less likely to be toxic in high doses
Chemical Name
-Describes the chemical makeup and molecular structure of the drug
-The chemical name is not used in practice, unless the drugs generic name is the same as the chemical name
-Eg. Calcium gluconate
-A drug only has 1 chemical name
Generic Name
-Official name of the drug (non-proprietary name)
-In most cases, this is the drugs universal name, regardless of country
-Few exceptions to this rule = acetaminophen, in other parts of the world called for paracetamol
-In Canada the original company that researched and created the medication gives it a generic name and it is approved by health Canada
-Can sell without competition for 20 years under a patent, then other companies can start producing the drug under different trade names = generic version = cheaper
Trade/Brand Name
-Sometimes called commercial name
-Given by the manufacturer
-Often catchy = marketable
-Name often gives you an idea of what the drug does
-Often similar, making it easier to mix them up (increases risk of med error)
Classification
-Once a drug has been named it is then places in a “class” or category
-Drugs can be organized by their therapeutic classification or pharmacological classification
Therapeutic Usefulness Examples
-Inhibiting blood clotting
-Lowering cholesterol
-Lowering blood pressure
Therapeutic Class Examples
-Anticoagulant
-Antihypertensives
-Antihyperlipidemics
Mechanism of Action Examples
-Lowering plasma volume
-Blocking beta receptors
-Dilating blood vessels
Pharmacological class examples
-Diuretic
-Beta blocker
-Vasodilator
Pharmacokinetics
-Refers to what the body does to the drug (what happens to the drug as it moves through the body)
-Study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
-Onset of action, peak effect, duration of action
Onset of Action
-The time it takes for the drug to elicit a therapeutic response (or a therapeutic effect)
-How long it takes for the drug to reach minimal effective control concentration
Peak effect
-The time it takes for the drug to reach maximal therapeutic response
-This point corresponds to increasing drug concentrations at the site of action
Duration of action
-The total length of time that the drug will elicit a therapeutic response
Therapeutic Range
-Range of drug dosage which can treat disease effectively without having toxic effects or no effects
-meds with a narrow range must be administered with care and control, frequently measuring blood concentrations of the drug/ effects to avoid harm
Supraatherapeutic Effect
-Too high a dose
Subtherapeutic effect
-too low a dose
Bolus (rapid acting) Name, Onset, Peak, Duration
-N: Insulin aspart
-O: 10-15 minutes
-P: 1-1.5 hours
-D: 3-5 hours
Bolus (short acting) Name, Onset, speak, Duration
N: Humulin R
O: 30 mins
P:2-3 hours
D: 6.5 hours
Basal (Intermediate) Name, onset, peak, duration
N: novolin
O: 1-3 hours
P: 5-8 hours
D: up to 18 hours
Basal (long acting) Name, onset, peak, duration
Name: insulin glargine
O: 90 mins
P: no peak
D: up to 24 hours
Why is knowing onset, peak, and duration important?
-Which drug will work fastest?
-When will you reassess the patient to determine if the drug is working?
-Which drug will last the longest?
-When will it be safe to repeat the dose?
What factors impact a drugs onset, peak and duration?
-how it’s absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted (ADME) aka pharmacokinetics
Absorption
-Describes how the drug gets into the bloodstream
-Most important factor affecting absorption is the route
-Within a route other things can affect absorption
Absorption and IV meds vs PO meds
-IV meds are injected directly into the blood stream so they do not need to be absorbed
-For other routes, factors can affect absorption
-Eg. Taking a PO med with food or liquid can alter the rate or degree of absorption
Distribution
-Once the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream there are several factors that can affect the movement and distribution of a drug to the tissues where it will have its action
Most common route for absorption.
Enteral or oral
Bioavailability
-% of drug that makes it into the blood stream
-Administering a drug by IV = 100% bioavailability
-PO drugs will always result in a bioavailability less than 100% since it is not injected into the blood
Bioavailability and PO drugs
-Usually a PO drug is swallowed and absorbed from the small intestine into the portal vein which travels to the liver
-At the liver some or sometimes all of it is metabolized
-This usually means the drug is changed into an inactive or less active form long before it ever makes its way through the systemic circulation and into tissues
First Pass Effect
-The initial metabolism of a PO drug that occurs BEFORE it reaches systemic circulation
-Drugs that have a 100% first pass effect will have 0% bioavailability and therefore will have no effect on the body Eg insulin/nitroglycerin
First pass effect is the reason why…
-ALL PO medications will have less than a 100% bioavailability
-primary reason why most drug doses need to be significantly decreased when switching from PO to IV
-also reason why a drugs dose usually needs to be increased when switching from IV to PO
How to avoid first pass effect
-Different routes have been invented = transdermal, inhaled, sublingual/buccal
Why not use IV meds all the time ?
-Expensive (cost of drug, IV catheter, pumps, poles, nurses, hospitalization)
-Invasive (does place patient at risk of infections, uncomfortable)
-Increases risk of adverse effects because the drug cannot be removed one it’s in and works FAST
Which route is always preferred ?
PO
What 2 things can alter PO absorption
- PH balance
- Food
PO drugs and pH
-the acidity and alkalinity of the GI tract can affect absorption
-most drugs require an acidic environment in the stomach and small intestine to be broken down and absorbed
-taking medication along with acid controlling drugs (within 1-2 hours) can increase the pH of the GI tract and greatly impair absorption
Common acid controlling drugs
-Ranitidine (Zantac)
-Omeprazole (Losec)
-Calcium Carbonate (Tums)
PO meds and Food
-Many drugs should be taken on an empty stomach (1-2 hours before eating or 2 hours after)
-Food can delay stomach emptying and since most drugs are absorbed in the small intestine = delay
-Sometimes it is recommended that a drug be taken with food to decrease occurrence of unpleasant side effects like nausea