definitions

• Signs

  Objective evidence of a disease which means others observe it
• Symptoms

  Subjective evidence of a disease which means it's only what a person can feel
• Drug

  A substance used in diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a disease. The active ingredient contained within the medication
• Medicines or medications

  Agents used to treat disease or injury. Each medicine usually contains at least one drug
• Pharmaceutical

  A drug or medicine that is prepared or dispensed in a pharmacy and which is used in treatment of medical conditions
• Brand name/proprietary name

  The patented name owned by a particular pharmaceutical company
• Non-proprietary name

  Active ingredient in the medicine that is decided by an expert committee and is understood internationally
• Generics

  'Copies' of a branded product after patent expiration
• Medicines on the General Sale List (GSL)

  Sold at a wider range of outlets (such as supermarkets) provided those premises are lockable and the medicines are pre-packed
• Pharmacy medicines (P)

  Sold or supplied at registered pharmacy premises or under the supervision of a pharmacist
• Prescription only medicines (POMs)

  Sold and/or supplied to patients with a prescription from appropriate prescribing practitioner
• Prescribing

  Advising and authorising the use of a medicine and often involves issuing a written prescription
• Independent Prescriber (IP)

  Prescribe any licensed medicine for ocular conditions affecting the eye and the tissue surrounding the eye
• Patient Specific Direction

  Instruction given by an independent prescriber to another professional to administer a medicine to a specific patient
• Patient Group Direction

  Written instruction for supply or administer of medicines to certain groups of patients by a named health professional
• Pharmacodynamics

  Mechanism of action – biochemical, physiological effects. The biological effect of the drug on the body
• Pharmacokinetics

  Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion. The way the body affects the drug with time
• Therapeutics

  Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease
• Chemical name

  Often long and complex. Follows rules of chemical nomenclative laid down by IUPAC
• Code name

  Drugs in development without 'official' name
• Official 'generic' name

  Set by national or international committee
• Brand name

  Commercial name given by manufacturer (some drug can have several different brand names)
• Receptors

  Target molecules for endogenous chemical messengers, neurotransmitters, hormones etc.
• Drug Action

  Mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic profile
• Drug Indication

  Intended use of the drug/what it is licensed for
• Drug Interaction

  Drug-drug interactions. Influence of drugs on each other
• Drug Cautions

  Risks to consider of using a drug
• Drug Contraindications

  Contraindications are more restrictive than cautions. The patient should avoid the drug if they have a condition that is contra-indicated
• Side Effects

  Undesirable effect of a drug
• Enteral drugs

  Drug administration that involves any part of the gastrointestinal tract
• Parental drugs

  Drug administered in a manner that avoids the gastrointestinal tract
• Topical drugs

  Drugs that are applied directly onto an epithelial surface
• Physiochemical factors

  Drug-Drug or Drug-Food interactions may affect the absorption of the drug
• Carrier-mediated transport

  Specialised transport mechanisms that regulate entry and exit of important molecules
• Bioavailability

  Amount of active drug passing through into circulation
• Agonists

  Activate receptors and produce appropriate response
• Antagonists

  Bind to receptors but do not activate and reduce the chance of an agonist binding
• Direct Acting

  Neurotransmitter directly stimulates receptor
• Indirect Acting

  Interaction is not directly between the drug and receptor
• Chemotherapeutic Agents

  Chemicals that are toxic for their infecting organism but innocuous to the host