Terminologies in Introduction to Pharmacology

Question 1

The science dealing with actions of drugs on the body.

Answer 1

Pharmacology

Question 2

The first stage of pharmacokinetics: medications enter the body and travel from site of administration into the body’s circulation.

Answer 2

The science dealing with actions of drugs on the body.

Question 3

The breakdown of a drug molecule via enzymes in the liver (primarily) or intestines (secondarily).

Answer 3

Metabolism

Question 4

The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates drugs.

Answer 4

Pharmacokinetics

Question 5

The study of how a person’s genetic make-up affects their response to medicines.

Answer 5

Pharmacogenetics

Question 6

The study of how drugs act at target sites of action in the body.

Answer 6

Pharmacodynamics

Question 7

The final stage of pharmacokinetics; the process whereby drug byproducts and metabolites are eliminated from the body.

Answer 7

Excretion

Question 8

How a medication works at a cellular level within the body.

Answer 8

Mechanism of Action

Question 9

The science of the preparation of drugs.

Answer 9

Pharmacy

Question 10

As the dose of a drug increases, the response should also increase. The slope of the curve is characteristic of the particular drug-receptor interaction.

Answer 10

Dose-Response

Question 11

A nearly impenetrable barricade that is built from a tightly woven mesh of capillaries cemented together to protect the brain from potentially dangerous substances such as poisons or viruses.

Answer 11

Blood-Brain Barrier

Question 12

The second stage of pharmacokinetics; the process by which medication is distributed throughout the body.

Answer 12

Distribution

Question 13

Effect of a drug, other than the desired effect, sometimes in an organ other than the target organ.

Answer 13

Side Effect

Question 14

A quantitative measurement of the relative safety of a drug that compares the amount of drug that produces a therapeutic effect versus the amount of drug that produces a toxic effect. Medication with a large therapeutic index is safer than a medication with a small therapeutic index.

Answer 14

Therapeutic Index

Question 15

A “selective” drug binds to a primary and predictable site creating one desired effect. A “non-selective” drug can bind to many different and unpredictable receptor sites with potential side effects.

Answer 15

Selectivity

Question 16

The drug dose required to produce a specific intensity of effect.

Answer 16

Potency

Question 17

An unintended and potentially dangerous pharmacological effect that occurs when a medication is administered correctly.

Answer 17

Adverse Effect

Question 18

The presence of a drug in the blood stream after it is administered.

Answer 18

Bioavailability

Question 19

The maximum effect of which the drug is capable.

Answer 19

Efficacy

Question 20

This really covers any drug that is not administered
orally, and while the term is generally applied to injections and intravenous (IV)
lines, it can also cover other routes. Injection is an effective way of introducing
a drug quickly into a subcutaneous (under the skin) area.

Answer 20

Parenteral Administration