Pharmacology Basics

What is Pharmacology?

• Study of the effects of drugs on living organisms
• Examines the interactions between drugs and biological systems
• Aims to understand how drugs work, their benefits, and their risks

Branches of Pharmacology

• Pharmacokinetics: study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME)
• Pharmacodynamics: study of the effects of drugs on the body
• Pharmacotherapeutics: study of the use of drugs in the treatment of diseases
• Toxicology: study of the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals

Drug Development Process

1. Discovery: identification of a potential drug candidate
2. Preclinical testing: testing in laboratory animals to assess safety and efficacy
3. Clinical trials: testing in humans to assess safety and efficacy
4. Approval: regulatory approval for marketing and sale
5. Post-marketing surveillance: monitoring of drug safety after approval

Drug Interactions

• Synergism: increased effect of two or more drugs
• Antagonism: decreased effect of two or more drugs
• Additive effect: combined effect of two or more drugs is equal to the sum of their individual effects

Pharmacological Effects

• Therapeutic effect: desired effect of a drug
• Side effect: undesired effect of a drug
• Adverse reaction: harmful effect of a drug
• Idiosyncratic reaction: unexpected and unpredictable effect of a drug

Receptors and Pharmacological Response

• Receptors: specific proteins that bind to drugs
• Agonist: drug that binds to a receptor and activates it
• Antagonist: drug that binds to a receptor and blocks its activation
• Partial agonist: drug that binds to a receptor and activates it partially

What is Pharmacology?

• Examines the effects of drugs on living organisms, understanding how drugs interact with biological systems
• Aims to understand how drugs work, their benefits, and their risks

Branches of Pharmacology

• Pharmacokinetics: studies drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) to understand how the body processes drugs
• Pharmacodynamics: investigates the effects of drugs on the body to understand how drugs produce their effects
• Pharmacotherapeutics: focuses on the use of drugs in the treatment of diseases to understand how to effectively use drugs in therapy
• Toxicology: examines the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals to understand how to minimize harm

Drug Development Process

• Discovery: identifying potential drug candidates through research
• Preclinical testing: testing potential drugs in laboratory animals to assess safety and efficacy
• Clinical trials: testing potential drugs in humans to assess safety and efficacy
• Approval: obtaining regulatory approval for marketing and sale of a drug
• Post-marketing surveillance: monitoring drug safety after approval to identify any adverse effects

Drug Interactions

• Synergism: when the combined effect of two or more drugs is greater than the sum of their individual effects
• Antagonism: when the combined effect of two or more drugs is less than the sum of their individual effects
• Additive effect: when the combined effect of two or more drugs is equal to the sum of their individual effects

Pharmacological Effects

• Therapeutic effect: the desired effect of a drug, what the drug is intended to achieve
• Side effect: an undesired effect of a drug, which may be harmless or harmful
• Adverse reaction: a harmful effect of a drug, which may be severe or life-threatening
• Idiosyncratic reaction: an unexpected and unpredictable effect of a drug, which may be unique to an individual

Receptors and Pharmacological Response

• Receptors: specific proteins that bind to drugs, triggering a response
• Agonist: a drug that binds to a receptor, triggering a response
• Antagonist: a drug that binds to a receptor, blocking its activation
• Partial agonist: a drug that binds to a receptor, partially activating it