Week 7 - Pharmacokinetics Intro + Absorption of Drugs Flashcards
1
Q
Why are known therapeutic responses of medications less well understood in older adults?
A
- randomized trials of medication to determine appropriate therapeutic dosage are conducted on younger people
2
Q
What are adverse drug reactions associated with in the older adult? (2)
A
- more common
- increased mortality and morbidity
3
Q
What 3 sectors does pharmacokinetic include?
A
- lipophilicity
- hydrophilicity
- half life
4
Q
What are pharmacokinetic changes?
A
- what the body does to the drug from the point of administration to the point of its excretion
5
Q
How do pharmacokinetic properties change in the older adult? (2)
A
- age-related effects
- Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination
6
Q
What is the most important pharmacokinetic property that affects how the drug works? (2)
A
- how we administer it, aka the route
- how long between administration and absorption depends on the route
7
Q
What are 5 ways to administer medications?
A
- by mouth through the small intestine (oral)
- Creams and lotions through the skin (transdermal)
- Injections through the muscle
- Inhalers through the lungs
- Intravenous
8
Q
What are changes in the older adult that may impact the time it takes for the drug to be absorbed? (3, 5)
A
- diminished gastric acidity
- slower stomach emptying, which diminishes activity of short lived medications
- slowed gastric emptying, which can increase the effect
- but can cause a time delay in max drug concentration
all may lead to inconsistent changes
9
Q
Why can the transdermal route impact absorption?
A
may lead to decreased concentration of drug in the blood
10
Q
What are other medications or food that can influence absorption? (2)
A
- grapefruit juice delays with a medication for hypothyroidism (levothyroxine)
- fosamax can not be taken with food
