PRELIMS: Basic Principles of Pharmacology Flashcards
Study of the effects of drugs on the living system.
Pharmacology
Area of pharmacology that deals with the use of specific drugs to prevent, treat, or diagnose a disease.
Pharmacotherapeutics
Area of pharmacology that deals with the genetic basis for variations in drug response.
Pharmacogenetics
A chemical substance of known structure that, when administered to a living organism, produces biological effects.
Drug
Drugs that inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme, used to treat hypertension and heart failure. Examples include Captopril, Enalapril, Lisinopril.
ACE Inhibitors
A model drug that exemplifies the characteristics of a drug class.
Drug Prototype
Drugs that can be bought without a prescription.
Over-the-Counter Medications
The use of a drug for conditions other than those for which it was originally approved.
Off-label Prescription
Molecular formula of a drug, such as N-acetyl-aminophenol.
Chemical name
Drugs with the highest potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, such as LSD and heroin.
Schedule I Controlled Substances
The transformation of lipid-soluble drugs into water-soluble compounds to make them easier to excrete.
Metabolism
The route of drug administration that is safe, easy, and convenient.
Oral Administration
The main disadvantage of this route is that the drug must be absorbed through the oral mucosa.
Sublingual and Buccal Administration
The ultimate goal when choosing a drug administration route is to ensure the drug reaches its target to exert its beneficial effect.
note
The extent to which a drug reaches the systemic circulation.
Bioavailability
What the body does to the drug, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
Pharmacokinetics
Factors affecting absorption include lipid solubility, molecular structure, surface area, pH of the drug, and blood flow.
Absorption Factors
The process wherein an administered drug reaches the systemic circulation.
Absorption
Final elimination of drugs from the body’s systemic circulation through urine, bile, sweat, tears, or breast milk.
Excretion
First Pass Effect
: Metabolism of drugs that occurs prior to reaching systemic circulation, affecting bioavailability.
The rate at which drug clearance occurs, not the amount of drug cleared.
Clearance
Drugs that bind to the same receptor as an agonist but induce a pharmacological response opposite to that of the agonist.
Inverse Agonists
Describes the extent of distribution of a drug in the body and determines the total amount of drug that has to be administered.
Volume of Distribution (Vd)
The time needed for a drug plasma concentration to be reduced by 50%.
Half-life
