W1 Terminology

• Pharmacodynamics: Study of the action of drugs on living tissue
• Pharmacokinetics: Study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
• Pharmacotherapeutics: Study of the use of drugs in treating disease
• Pharmacy: Science of preparing and dispensing medicines
• Posology: Study of the amount of drug that is required to produce therapeutic effects
• Toxicology: Study of the harmful effects of drugs on living tissue
• Competitive antagonism: Agonists and antagonist competing for the same receptors at the same time
• Effect is determined by amount of receptors each drug is bound to
• Ceiling effect: Limit of effect that a drug can produce
• Dose-Response Curve: Graph that shows the relationship between the drug effect (expressed as precentage) and drug dose
• Time-Plasma Curve: Graph that shows the drug plasma concentration relative to time since administration
• Onset of action: Point in time and drug plasma concentration at which observable effects occur
• Termination of drug action: Point in time and drug plasma concentration at which observable effects stop
• LD50: Dose of drug that will kill 50% of animals
• Therapeutic index: LD50/ED50
• Receptor Site: Specific location on a cell membrane or within cell where drug attaches to produce effect
• Ligand: Another name for agonist
• Dose: Exact amount of drug required to produce specific effect
• Acidic drugs: Drugs that are mostly ionized in basic fluid and have poor absorption because of this
• Kidneys: Organs that are most important for drug excretion
• Aqueous preparations: Syrup solution of water and sugar and flavour
• Certain organs like brain have more blood flow and will receive drugs faster because of this.
• Enzymatic induction: Drugs that stimulate DMMS and cause it to make more enzymes to reduce the duration of action of the drug
• First-pass Metabolism: When drugs pass through liver through hepatic portal circulation before entering rest of system to reach action site
• Drug Ionization: Main factor that affects absorption of water soluble drugs
• Liver, Kidneys, Brain: Organs that have the most blood flow and are absorbed to the most drug concentration
• Blood brain barrier: Lipid cell barrier that prevents non lipid soluble substances from entering brain
• DMMS: Drug microsomal metabolizing system which is comprised of specific enzymes in the liver.
• Enzymatic inhibition: Drugs that inhibit the action and formation of the DMMS enzymes and increases the duration and intensity of the drug
• General Anesthetics: Highly lipid soluble drug type
• Basic drugs: Drugs that are mostly ionized in acidic fluid and have poor absorption because of this
• Cytochrome P450: Enzyme in liver that metabolizes lipid soluble drugs by making them water soluble.
• Acidic drugs: Drugs that are mostly unionized in acidic fluid and have good absorption because of this
• Basic drugs: Drugs that are mostly unionized in basic fluid and have good absorption because of this
• Alcoholic preparations: Elixirs, usually made with 5 to 20% alcohol
• Powders: Dried drugs, ground into fine particles
• Tablets: Compressed powders
• Lozenges: Drugs that dissolve in mouth
• Incompatibility is a drug interaction that refers to physical alterations of drugs that occur before administration when different drugs are mixed in the same syringe or container.
• Bioavailability is the percentage of the dose of a drug that is actually absorbed into the bloodstream.