Principles of Pharmacology Flashcards
What is the traditional definition of a drug?
Any chemical that alters the physiology of the body
What is the active ingredient in cannabis?
Tetrahydrocannibol (THC)
What is the improved definition of a drug?
Any chemical that alters the physiology of the body (other than food and nutrients)
Who claimed that, “Nearly all disease can be traced to a nutritional deficiency”?
Two-time Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling
psychoactive (n.)
pertaining to effects on mood, thinking, and behavior
psychoactive drug (n.)
a drug that produces effects on mood, thinking, and behavior
pharmaco- (n.)
relating to principles of drug action
neuro- (n.)
relating to the nervous system
psycho- (n.)
relating to behavioral and mental processes
behavioral-
often (but not always) referring to conditional models
What is the trade name for cannabis?
Marinol
What is diphenhydramine?
Antihistamine
When and by whom was the Controlled Substances Act signed I to law?
In 1970 by Richard Nixon.
What is the most serious schedule of drug?
Schedule I (no medicinal use, high potential for abuse)
What is the least serious schedule of drug?
Schedule V (high medicinal value, low potential for abuse)
What is SDAPA?
Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012
What did SDAPA do?
Placed 26 synthetic substances (ex. cannabinoids, cathinones) into Schedule I
What are some Schedule I drugs?
Heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA, peyote
What are some Schedule II drugs?
Morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, hydromorphone (Diluadid)
What are some Schedule IV drugs?
Xanax, Valium, Ambien, many anxiolytics (e.g. diazepam)
What are some Schedule III drugs?
Codeine, anabolic steroids,
The name “delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol” is the ___________ for the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant.
generic name
bioavailability (n.)
the concentration of drug present in the blood that is free to bind to specific drug targets
What are the five main pharmacokinetic factors determining drug action?
Drug administration, absorption, binding, inactivation, and excretion
Most drugs are metabolized in the liver by the _____________ enzyme family.
Cytochrome P450
During pregnancy, _________ drugs effect the fetus longer than the mother due to ion trapping.
basic
Why does the first-pass effect occur with orally administered drugs?
Drugs absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach go to the liver on the way to general circulation.
What are the main factors that affect psychoactive drug absorption?
Lipophilicity of drug, ionization, blood brain barrier, body surface area, and sex
depot binding (n.)
the binding of a drug to an inactive site
What are the main factors that affect psychoactive drug binding?
Target binding and depot binding
metabolism (n.)
the process of biotransformation that results in the termination of a drug’s effects
Are phase I drug metabolism reactions synthetic or non-synthetic?
Non-synthetic
Are phase II drug metabolism reactions synthetic or non-synthetic?
Synthetic
What happens when aspirin is metabolized?
Aspirin > phase I > salicylic acid > phase II > salicylic-glucuronide
Explain drug competition.
If two drugs are metabolized by the same enzyme and are co-administered, they are active for longer and in higher concentrations.
enzyme induction (n.)
an increase in metabolizing liver enzymes following repeated drug use, which can lead to pharmacokinetic tolerance
Pharmacokinetic tolerance is common among ____________.
early-stage alcoholics
enzyme inhibition (n.)
reduction in metabolizing liver enzyme activity associated with a specific drug
genetic polymorphism (n.)
genetic variations among individuals that produce multiple forms of a given protein
first-order kinetics (n.)
term used to describe exponential elimination of drugs from the bloodstream
half-life (n.)
time required to remove half of the drug from the blood
zero-order kinetics (n.)
term used to describe a constant rate of drug removal from the body, regardless of a drug concentration in the blood
steady state plasma level (n.)
the desired blood concentration of a drug achieved when the absorption/distribution phase is equal to the metabolism/excretion phase
What is the half-life of THC?
20-30 hours
ligand (n.)
molecule that selectively binds to a receptor
endogenous (n.)
from within organism
exogenous (n.)
from outside organism
affinity (n.)
the attraction between a ligand and a receptor
Does a high Ki indicate a low or high affinity?
Low affinity
Does a low Ki indicate a high or low affinity?
High affinity
agonist (n.)
a drug that binds to my receptor and mimics or potentiates the effects of the endogenous neurotransmitter
What are some opioid receptor agonists?
Heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone
antagonist (n.)
a drug that binds to a receptor and blocks the action of the endogenous neurotransmitter or agonist drug
efficacy (n.)
the ability of a ligand to activate a receptor
ED50 dose (n.)
the dose at which there is response in 50% of subjects
threshold dose (n.)
the minimum dose needed to observe a response
potency (n.)
the difference in the ED50 of two drugs
drug effectiveness (n.)
the difference in maximum possible effect that a drug will produce at any dose
acute tolerance (n.)
tolerance that develops during a single administration
metabolic/pharmacokinetic tolerance (n.)
repeated use of a drug reduces amount of the drug available at the target tissue
pharmacodynamic tolerance (n.)
changes in nerve cell function compensate for continued presence of a drug
behavioral tolerance (n.)
tolerance is not apparent or reduced in a novel environment
classical conditioning (n.)
the elicitation of reflexive effects such as cortical arousla, elevated BP, or euphoria, and act as unconditioned stimuli
What classes of drugs produce metabolic tolerance?
Barbiturates, alcohol, and morphine
sensitization (n.)
the enhancement of drug effects after repeated administration of the same dose
state-dependent learning (n.)
tasks learned in the presence of a psychoactive drug may be subsequently performed better in the drugged than nondrugged state
therapeutic drug monitoring (n.)
multiple drug samples are taken after drug administration and plasma levels measured
therapeutic index (n.)
the size of the amount between ED50 and LD50
LD50 (n.)
the dose of a drug that is lethal in 50% of subjects
