Week 1 Flashcards
What is pharmacokinetics?
What your body does to a drug
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination
What is pharmacodynamics?
What a drug does to your body
Biochemistry and physiology
What is bioavailability?
Fraction of the administered dose of drug that reaches the systemic circulation
What letter represents bioavailability?
F
How is volume of distribution calculated?
Volume of distribution = total drug in body/blood plasma concentration
What is the volume of distribution if the total drug in body is 100mg and the plasma concentration is 1 mg/L?
100L
What is clearance?
Volume of plasma/blood cleared of drug per unit time
What is half-life?
Time required for plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by half
What is half-life determined by?
Clearance and volume of distribution
How many half lives does it take for a drug to reach steady state?
4-5
What are loading doses used for?
When the drug being administered has a long-half life but its effects are required quickly
What medications require loading doses?
Antibiotics (e.g. gentamicin)
Digoxin
What is elimination half-life?
Time taken for the concentration to fall to half
What is linear pharmacokinetics?
Concentration that results from a dose is proportional to the dose - double the dose, double the concentration
Rate of elimination is proportional to the concentration - 50% of drug will be eliminated in a given time frame
What is non-linear pharmacokinetics?
Concentration that results is not proportional to dose; small increase in dose = large increase in concentration
Rate of elimination is constant regardless of amount of drug present
Dosage increases can saturate binding sites and result in non- proportional increase in drug levels; or opposite in dose decrease
Why might changing administration of morphine from oral to subcutaneous cause opioid toxicity?
Morphine oral bioavailability is lower than subcutaneous - dose needs to be 1/3 of original
Will the loading dose be the same in a large man and a frail woman? Why?
No
Depends on volume of distribution
Will the loading dose be the same in a man with kidney failure and a woman with normal kidney funtion of comparable weights? Why?
Yes
Volume of distribution unaffected by kidney function
How is a loading dose calculated?
Loading dose (mg) = target concentration (mg/L) x volume (L/kg)
What are the 4 main receptor classes?
Enzyme-linked
Ion channel linked
G-protein linked
Nuclear/gene linked
What is affinity?
Measure of propensity of a drug to bind receptor; the attractiveness of drug and receptor
What is efficacy?
Ability of a bound drug to change the receptor in a way that produces an effect
What is potency?
Relative position of the dose-effect curve along the dose axis
Is a low potency drug considered disadvantageous?
Only if the dose is so large that it is awkward to administer
Do agonists have affinity and efficacy?
Yes
Yes
Do antagonists have affinity and efficacy?
Yes
No
Do partial agonists have affinity and efficacy?
Yes
Yes, but less than full
What are agonists?
Drugs that interact with and activate
What is a full agonist?
An agonist with maximal efficacy
What is a partial agonist?
An agonist with less than maximal efficacy
What are the 2 types of agonist?
Full
Partial
What are the 2 types of antagonist?
Competitive
Non-competitive
What is an antagonist?
Interacts with the receptor but does not change the receptor
What is a competitive antagonist?
Competes with agonist for receptor
Surmountable with increasing agonist concentrations
Shifts dose response curve to the right
Reduces the apparent affinity of the agonist
Is a higher or lower therapeutic index more advantageous?
Higher
How is the therapeutic index calculated?
Therapeutic index = toxic/lethal dose 50/effective dose 50
How does renal disease affect pharmacology and what changes need to be made?
Increased half-life/prolonged elimination
Dosing interval needs to be increased
What is VD?
Volume in which the amount of drug would need to be uniformly distributed to produce observed blood concentration
How does hepatic disease affect pharmacology and what changes need to be made?
Increased half-life/slower rate of enzyme metabolism
Decrease dosage and increase dosing interval
How does cystic fibrosis affect pharmacology and what changes need to be made?
Increased metabolism and elimination
Increase dosage and decrease dosing interval
How does ageing affect elimination of drugs?
Variable decrease in GFR
How are pharmacodynamic effects increased and decreased in the elderly?
Increased - alcohol, opiates
Decreased - isoproterenol and β-blockers
Why are the elderly at high risk of adverse drug reactions?
The more medications a person is on, the higher the risk of drug-drug interactions/adverse drug reactions and non-adherence
Give some examples of drug-drug interactions
Statins and erythromycin/other antibiotics
Verapamil and β-blockers
Warfarin and aspirin/multiple drugs
ACE inhibitors and sulfonylureas
What conditions can be worsened by NSAIDs, decongestants and calcium channel blockers?
NSAIDs - chronic HF
Decongestants - BPH urinary retention
Calcium - constipation
What drugs should be avoided in renal disease?
Metformin
NSAIDs
What drugs should be used with caution in renal disease?
ACE inhibitors
What drugs should be given in a reduced dose in renal disease
Antibiotics
Heparin
Digoxin
Phenytoin
What is TD50?
Dose at which there is a toxic effect in 50% of cases
What is LD50?
Dose at which there is death in 50% of cases
What is ED50?
Dose at which a drug is effective in 50% of cases
What is the ratio of males:females affected by hyperkinetic disorders?
3-4:1
What could be the reason for differences in prevalence reporting rates of hyperkinetic disorders?
Under-reporting
Lack of recognition in females
Differences in diagnostic practice
Differences in cultural expectations of behaviour
What are the 3 core features of ADHD?
Inattentiveness
Hyperactivity
Impulsiveness
What does ADHD stand for?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
What are some common signs/symptoms of ADHD?
Tendency to move from one task to another without completion
Disorganisation
Fidgeting
Accident prone
Social disinhibition
Poor maintenance of personal relationships
What are the specifications for symptoms to fall under in order to diagnose ADHD?
Symptoms apparent before age 7/12
Symptoms excessive for child’s age
Pervasive (symptoms occur in more than 1 environment)