Pharmacological terms

• Absorption 


  The process of absorbing or assimilating/in taking substances into cells or across the tissues and organs through diffusion 
• Adverse drug event


  is defined as harm experienced by a patient as a result of exposure to a medication.
• Adverse drug reaction 


  Adverse reactions are harmful effects suspected to be caused by a medicine or vaccine
• Agonist


  A drug or substance that binds to a receptor inside a cell or on its surface and causes the same action as the substance that normally binds to the receptor
• Analgesic


  A medication that relieve pain
• Antagonist


  a substance that stops the action or effect of another substance.
• Antipyretic drugs


  A drug that prevents or reduces fever by lowering the body temperature from a raised state
• Approved name


  The brand name is developed by the company requesting approval for the drug and identifies it as the exclusive property of that company.
• β-blockers (beta-blockers)


  are medicines that lower blood pressure.
• Bioavailability


   The ability of a drug or other substance to be absorbed and used by the body
• Bioequivalence


  the property of two dosage forms or active ingredients with similar blood concentration levels that produce the same effect at the site of physiologic activity
• Contraindication


  a specific situation in which a medicine, procedure, or surgery should not be used because it may be harmful to the person
• down regulation


  the process of reducing or suppressing a response to a stimulus
• efficacy 


   the maximum response that can be achieved with a drug
• maximal drug efficacy


  A highly efficacious agonist can produce the maximal response of the receptor system while occupying a relatively low proportion of the receptors
• emetic 


  a substance, especially a medicine, that is used to prevent or reduce vomiting or nausea 
• anti-emetic 


  relating to a substance that is useful in the suppression of nausea or vomiting
• enteral route


  The term enteral medication describes medications that are administered into the gastrointestinal tract including orally (PO), rectally (PR),
• enteric coating


  a polymer applied to oral medication. It serves as a barrier to prevent the gastric acids in the stomach from dissolving or degrading drugs after you swallow them
• first-pass effect


  a pharmacological phenomenon in which a medication undergoes metabolism at a specific location in the body
• generic name


  the chemical name of a medicine. This name is the same no matter how many companies manufacture the medicine.
• half-life


  is the time it takes for the amount of a drug's active substance in your body to reduce by half
• loading dose


  a large initial dose of a substance or series of such doses given to rapidly achieve a therapeutic concentration in the body
• parenteral drug administration


  drugs given by routes other than the digestive tract
• receptors


  The binding of a drug to receptor depends on types of chemical bounds that can be established between drug and receptor
• selectivity 


  the degree to which a drug acts on a given site relative to other sites.
• side effects 


  An effect of a drug or other type of treatment that is in addition to or beyond its desired effect
• specificity


  the percentage of persons without the disease who are correctly excluded by the test
• steady state


  a dynamic equilibrium in which drug concentrations consistently stay within therapeutic limits for long, potentially indefinite, periods
• sustained release


  a dosage form designed to release the medication in a controlled manner during an extended period of time, at a predetermined rate, duration, and location following administration.
• teratogen


  a substance that interferes with the normal development of a fetus
• tolerance


  the diminished response to alcohol or other drugs over the course of repeated or prolonged exposure
• dependence


   refers to someone feeling like they cannot function normally without the use of the substance
• addiction 


  a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences
• up regulation


  the process by which a cell increases its response to a substance or signal from outside the cell to carry out a specific function.
• Define Pharamacodynamic

  is the study of interaction between a drug and it's molecular target site and its pharmacological response
• Define Poly-pharmacy:


  is when a patient takes multiple medications, often more than they need to be taking
•    Define pharmacokinetics.


  is the study of how the body processes a drug, including its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
• Define adverse effects


  refer to unwanted or harmful reactions that occur as a result of taking a medication or undergoing a medical treatment.
• Define pharmaceutics.


  is the part of pharmacy that focuses on transforming drugs or active substances into drugs that can be used by patients safely and effectively