Week 1 Pharm Principles Flashcards
Pharmaceutic Phase
Dissolution
All oral drugs must go through dissolution in order to be absorbed.
Pharmacokinetic Phase
Drug moving through the body and what the body does to the drug
Four processes
• Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
THINK –> GI tract -> blood -> liver -> bile
kidney -> urine
Pharmacodynamic Phase
- What the drug does to the body
- The action of the drug or mechanism of action (MOA)
- The intended effect of the drug
- The therapeutic action
The Phospholipid Layer
- Cell membranes are composed of layers of cells
- These cells are close together, drugs must pass to get to blood and site of action
- Membrane structure is phospholipid
- Drugs must be lipid soluble to pass membrane MOST COMMON
- Water soluble drugs require passage through channels or pores
First Pass Effect
- Metabolism of drug before systemic circulation
- % of drug broken down in liver
- Bioavailability is the amount of drug left after first pass
* Bioavailability of PO varies (liver has to take some)
* Bioavailability of IV is 100%
Enteral route
- By way of GI tract (oral/gastric mucosa, small intestine, rectum)
* EC intended to break down in small intestine NOT stomach
* First pass effect
* PO break down starts in stomach, absorbed in small intestine
* First pass effect
* SL, Buccal, Rectal all highly vascularized tissue
* No first pass effect, by-passes liver
CANNOT MAKE PO DRUG RECTAL
Parenteral route
- SQ, IM, IV, intrathecal (into spinal canal), epidural (the space around the spinal cord)
- IV is the fastest (no barriers to absorption, often irreversible)
- Does not go through first-pass effect
Topical (transdermal) route
- Application of meds to body surfaces
* Eyes, skin, ears, nose, lungs
Onset slower, don’t worry about first pass effect
Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)
- Cells in the capillary wall in the brain with very tight junctions that prevent drug passages
- Only drugs that have a transport system or are lipid-soluble can cross the BBB
What can cross the BBB?
Alcohol
Glucose
- THIS IS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED IN INFANTS
Protein-Binding Effect
• Temp storage of drug molecule that allows drug to be available for a longer period
of time
• Drug ratio of bound to unbound (free) molecules varies
• Binding is reversible (a rapid process)
- Goal: maintain a steady free drug concentration aka Steady State
- Remember only unbound drug is active and free to exert effects
- Albumin is the primary plasma protein
- Drugs bind to protein [albumin]
- Hypoalbuminemia (ie, malnutrition or liver disease)
* More free drug is available for distribution to tissue site
* Possibility of overdose and toxicity
Example: Protein-Binding
- warfarin/Coumadin
* Drug used to decrease coagulation (blood thinner)
* Very highly protein bound (97 – 99%), leaves 1 – 3% free to exert effect
• A client with low albumin = less bound Coumadin (inactive) and more free
Coumadin (active)
- More free Coumadin can exert effect
- Increased risk of toxicity –> Increased bleeding
Metabolism
- Method by which drugs are INACTIVATED or biotransformed
* The new structure is called a metabolite - Liver is the major site for drug metabolism
* Converts lipid-soluble drugs into water-soluble metabolites
* Kidney can excrete these metabolites
* Cytochrome P-450 enzymes - If liver isn’t working, drug can build up, increasing toxicity
Metabolism: CYP450
Clinical Significance
• Substrate – if a drug uses the CYP450 system for metabolism
• Pro-drug is a substrate that uses CYP450 to convert to an active form
* Inducer – speeds up metabolism of the CYP450 system * Reduces the amount of drug in the body * Reduces therapeutic effect * Inhibitor – slows down metabolism of the CYP450 system * Increases the amount of drug in the body * Increases risk of toxicity
CYP450 Inhibitor Example
Grapefruit juice is a known CYP450 inhibitor
“It will stop breakdown of other meds”
• Taking grapefruit juice with another drug that uses this system increases the amount of drug in body • Can lead to toxicity
Teaching point
• Don’t take medications with grapefruit juice
• Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking the juice for 2-4 hours after taking meds