Week 7- Polypharmacy Flashcards
What is the correlation between adverse drug reactions and medication use?
adverse affects increase with more drugs
What is the absorption process of pharmacokinetics
Where medication is absorbes to the blood stream
-mostly in the GI
What is the process of distribution in pharmacokinetics?
- Once a medication is absorbed, it must be distributed or transported to a receptor site on the target organ to have therapeutic effect.
- Some medications exert therapeutic effect in absorbed form; others must be metabolized.
-blood carries it around
What is the metabolism process in Pharmacokinetics?
The chemical structure of a medication is converted to a metabolite that is more easily used and excreted.
-Liver is the primary site of metabolism
What is the excretion stage of pharmokinetics?
- Medications and their metabolites are excreted in sweat, saliva, and other secretions, but primarily through the kidneys.
-kidneys don’t always work well in older adults
What is pharmacodynamics?
*Pharmacodynamics is the interaction between a medication and the body
How may age effect the effect to pharmacodynamics?
The older a person gets, the more likely he or she will have an alteration or unreliable response to medication.
What is chronopharmacology?
*Chronopharmacology is the relationship of biological rhythms to variations in the body’s response to medications
What is polypharmacy?
the term used to indicate use of a large number of medications, use of contraindicated or potentially inappropriate medications, or use of medications that are duplicated or unnecessary.
What is an adverse drug reaction?
- An unwanted pharmacological effect
- Ranges from a minor annoyance to death and includes allergic reactions
- May be predictable or unpredictable
What is a misuse of medication
- Overuse, underuse, erratic use, and contraindicated use
- May occur due to inadequate skills of the nurse or the prescriber, misunderstanding of instructions, or inadequate funds to purchase prescribed medications
What may be used to help minimize misuse of medication?
The Beers list
How do you assess medication use for an older patient
Ask the person to bring in all medications being taken, including OTCs, herbals, and nutraceuticals or dietary supplements.
Ask the person how he or she actually takes medicine, rather than depending on label.
How do you monitor and evaluate medication misuse?
Make astute observations and document them.
Note changes in physical and functional status and mental status.
Ensure that blood levels are measured as they are needed.
Communicate findings of potential problems to the patient’s nurse practitioner or physician.
what receptors are in the cholinergic systems
two types of receptors:
-the plasma membrane-bound G protein-coupled muscarinic receptors,
-ligand-gated ion channel nicotinic receptors
