Pharmacology Terminology

Question 1

What are pharmacodynamics?

Answer 1

The biochemical and physical effects of drugs and the
mechanisms of drug actions on the body

Question 2

What is pharmacokinetics?

Answer 2

Drugs journey through the body. Absorption, distribution, metabolism and secretion (ADME)

Question 3

How would you describe absorption of a drug in the body?

Answer 3

Process of a drug moving from the delivery site to the blood stream after administration.

Question 4

How would you describe the distribution of a drug in the body?

Answer 4

Movement of a drug to and from various tissues and the bloodstream.

Question 5

How would you describe metabolism of a drug in the body?

Answer 5

The chemical alteration of a drug by the body e.g. the Liver

Question 6

How would you describe the excretion of a drug in the body?

Answer 6

The removal of drugs from the body e.g. Urine, faeces, exhaling, saliva.

Question 7

What is toxicology?

Answer 7

The branch of science concerned with nature, effects and detection of poisons.

Question 8

What is an agonist?

Answer 8

A chemical that binds to a receptor to produce a response.

Question 9

What is an antagonist?

Answer 9

A chemical that blocks receptors from producing a response e.g. Naloxone

Question 10

What is pharmacotherapeutics?

Answer 10

The use of drugs to prevent or treat disease

Question 11

What does Tolerance of a drug mean?

Answer 11

Tolerance is a decrease in response to a drug that is used repeatedly.
Resistance is development of the ability to withstand the previously destructive effect of a drug by microorganisms or tumour cells.

Question 12

What is Tachyphylaxis?

Answer 12

Tachyphylaxis is defined as a rapidly decreasing response to a drug
following its initial administration. This decreased drug sensitivity, like the placebo effect, can occur with any drug.

Question 13

What is Synergism?

Answer 13

The joint action of agents, as drugs, that, when taken together
increase each other’s effectiveness. Example -
Morphine, Paracetamol, Entonox

Question 14

What is Potentiation?

Answer 14

Interaction between two or more drugs or agents resulting in a pharmacologic response greater than the sum of individual responses to each drug or agent. Example -
Alcohol and Diazepam

Question 15

What is Cross Tolerance?

Answer 15

The resistance to one or several effects of a compound as a result of tolerance developed to a pharmacologically similar compound. Example - methadone

Question 16

What is interference of a drug?

Answer 16

Opposition to or hampering of some activity. Example -
Metoclopramide can accelerate the absorption of Alcohol and Aspirin and inhibit the absorption of Digoxin.

Question 17

What is the Cumulative effect?

Answer 17

The condition in which repeated administration of a drug may produce effects that are more pronounced than those produced by the first dose. Example -
Paracetamol

Question 18

What is Osmosis?

Answer 18

Movement of a solvent through a semipermeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane.

Question 19

What is Pinocytosis?

Answer 19

A cellular process that permits the active transport of fluid from outside the cell through the membrane surrounding the cell into the inside of the cell. Or molecules such as certain drugs.

Question 20

What is diffusion of a drug?

Answer 20

Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Question 21

What is the Duration of action of a drug?

Answer 21

The duration of action of a drug is known as its half life. This is the period required for the concentration or amount of drug in the body to be reduced by one-half. We usually consider the half life of a drug in relation to the amount of the drug in plasma. A drug’s plasma half-life depends on how quickly the drug is eliminated from the plasma.