Pharmacology Terminology Quiz 2 Flashcards
Action
Describes the mechanism by which a specific drug produces physiologic and biochemical changes at the cell, tissue, or organ level
Absorption
Movement of drug particles from the gastrointestinal tract to body fluids
Analgesia
Drugs that relieve pain
Adrenergic
Term applied to nerve fibers that, when stimulated, release epinephrine at their endings
Adverse/side effect
The development of undesired side effects or toxicity caused by the administration of drugs
Agonist
A drug that mimics at least some of the effects of an endogenous substance
Anaphylactoid-reaction
An excessive allergic response to a substance manifested by wheezing, chills, generalized urticaria, diaphoresis, agitation, flushing, difficulty breathing, and/or cardiovascular collapse.
Antagonist
Blocks a cellular receptor, preventing the binding and subsequent effects or an endogenous substance
Anticoagulant
Agent which delays or prevents blood coagulation
Anticholinergic
An agent that blocks parasympathetic nerve impulses resulting in dry mouth, decreased peristalsis, constipation, urinary-retention, and blurred vision.
Antiemetic
Agent that prevents or relieves nausea and vomiting
Antihistamine
A drug that opposes the action of histamine a in the body by prohibiting an increase in gastric secretions, dilation, of capillaries, constriction of bronchial smooth-muscle
Antineoplastic
Agent used to treat cancer
Antitussive
Agent that prevents or relieves coughing
Beta-blocker
Drugs that block the action of epinephrine at beta-Adrenergic receptor sites located in the myocardium (beta) and in bronchioles and vascular smooth-muscle (beta 2)
Bio-availability
The rate and extent of drug-absorption from any administration site into the systemic circulation
Blood-dyscrasia
Pathological condition manifested by fever, sore mouth and throat, unexplained fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding
Brand-name
Usually a registered trademark owned by a specific manufacturer; also known as trade name or proprietary name
Broad-spectrum
Term that applies to antibiotics effective against a variety of micro-organisms
Cardiotonic
Various agents, such as digitalis, that increase the tone of the heart by influencing that force of muscle-contractility; old term for cardiac-glycoside
Chemical name
Name that describes a drug’s chemical structure
Cholinergic
An agent that produces the effect of the chemical-transmitter acetylcholine; results in lacrimation, diaphoresis, salivation, abdominal-cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
Clinical-trials
Investigational studies that test the usefulness of drugs or treatments
Disintegration
The process of breaking up; breakdown of a tablet or pill into smaller particles
Dissolution
Process whereby one substance is dissolved into another; the smaller particles from disintegration are dissolved in gastrointestinal-fluid for absorption
Distribution
The dissemination of a drug to its ultimate site-of-action; it is impacted by the extent to which a drug is bound to plasma-proteins; especially albumin
Diuretic
An agent that increases the secretion of ruin either by increasing glomerular-filtration or by decreasing reabsorption from the renal-tubules
Duration
Average length of time a drug is present in the body and expecting its effect
Electrolytes
Ionized substances, such as acids, bases, and salts, that are present in blood tissue-fluids and cells; included salts of sodium, potassium, and chloride
Endocrine
Refers to a gland in the body that secretes its substance (hormones) directly into the bloodstream
Generic name
The official or nonproprietary name of a drug; a universal name
Half-life
The time required by the body, tissue, or organ to metabolize or inactivate half the amount of a substance taken in
Hepatotoxicity
Impairment of liver-function manifested by jaundice, dark-urine, pruritus, light colored stools, itching skin or rash, persistently-high elevations of liver enzymes
Histamine-blocker
An agent that blocks the stimulation of cells by histamine. It acts by interfering with the action of histamine rather than by preventing its secretion.
Loading-dose
A large initial-dose of a drug administered to achieve a rapid minimum effective concentration (MEC) in the plasma for obtaining desired drug action.
Metabolism or biotransformation
Alteration of a drug by the body into new chemicals that are less active, less toxic, and more easily-excreted by the body; action usually occurs in the liver
Mineral
A naturally occurring inorganic substance that is essential to body function
Nephrotoxicity
Impairment of kidney nephrons; manifested by one or more of the following; oliguria, urinary-frequency, hematuria, fever, cloudy urine, rising BUN and serum creatinine
Onset-of-action
Begins with the drug enters the plasma and continues until it reaches minimum effective concentration (MEC)
Opioid-naive
Describes patients who are receiving opioid analgesics for the first time and who therefore are unaccustomed to their effects.
Opioid-tolerant
Normal physiologic state of adaption that results (overtime) in reduced drug-effects; larger doses of opioids are required to maintain same level of analgesia; abrupt discontinuation of the drug results in withdrawal-symptoms
Oto-toxicity
An impairment of the ear manifested by 1 or more of the following; headache, dizziness, or vertigo, nausea and vomiting with motion, ataxia and nystagmus
Peak
Refers to the time when a drug reaches its highest plasma concentration according to the route of administration; can indicate the rate of absorption of the drug
Pharmaceutical-phase
Phase or stage of drug action in which the medication enters the body in one for and changes into another for, in order to be utilized by the body
Pharmacodynamics
Deals with interactions between chemical components of living-systems and foreign chemicals (including drugs) that enter living organisms; the action of a drug; how a drug affects the body
Pharmacokinetics
Describes how the body deals with the drug, including absorption, distribution, bio-transformation (metabolism) and excretion; also deals with ones, peak, and duration of the drug in the body
Placebo
An inactive-substance or treatment; may be used as a nonspecific or inactive control in tightly-controlled clinical-trials approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board); may elicit a response; due to patient expectation; deceptive use is unethical
Pregnancy categories
Classification of drugs according to risk-benefit ratio for the mother and fetus. Categories include: A,B,C,D, and X with A being the lowest risk and X being the highest
Protein-bound
The binding of a drug to proteins within the body, especially albumin; protein-bound drugs are not free to diffuse across cell-membranes to the final site-or-action
Receptor
A cell-component that combines with a drug or hormone to alter the function of the cell
Receptor-sites
Sites on cell-membranes that react with specific other chemicals to cause an effect; a drug may be effective because it reacts with a specific receptor-site on particular cells in the body
Scheduled-drug
A controlled-substance, such as a narcotic; controlled substances are classified as belonging to one of the five schedules, I to V, according to abuse-potential, and I having the highest and V the lowest potential for abuse
Superinfection
A new infection by an organism different from the initial-infection being treated by anti microbial-therapy; manifested by one or more of the following; black, hairy-tongue; glossitis, stomatitis, anal-itching, loose, foul-smelling stool; vaginal itching or discharge; sudden fever, cough
Synergistic action
Cooperative action by 2 or more drugs in which one drug potentiates the other drug, resulting in an effect greater than the combined effect of 2 drugs from the same category. As a result, a smaller dose of 1 drug (eg. An opioid) is needed because it is potentiated by the other drug
Therapeutic-range
Describes those drug-concentrations below which the desired-effect will not be achieved and above which unacceptable-toxicity will occur
Trade name
Same as the brand name
Trough level
Lowest plasma concentration of a drug; measures rate at which drug is eliminated
Toxicity
The extent of quality of being poisonous
Vitamin
Essential organic substances found in foods and needed for health and life
