Pharmacology Key Concepts

A physician prescribes a medication 'off-label'. What does this designation primarily indicate about the medication's use?

Generic medications often share a common 'stem' in their name. What is the primary purpose of this naming convention?

When a medication is administered via the intravenous route, what is its bioavailability assumed to be?

A researcher generates a dose-response curve to study a new drug. What relationship is graphically represented in this curve?

What information does the therapeutic index of a medication provide to healthcare professionals?

What term describes the fraction of an administered dose of unchanged medication that reaches the systemic circulation?

In which primary organ does a medication undergo first-pass metabolism after oral administration?

What event is described as first-pass metabolism?

The rate of drug elimination is directly proportional to the plasma concentration of the drug. Which of the following kinetic processes does this describe?

A patient takes 500mg of a drug with a half-life of 2 hours. Assuming first-order kinetics, how many milligrams of the drug will remain in the patient's system 6 hours after administration?

A medication has a half-life of 12 hours. What does this imply about a single dose causing the patient to approach steady state?

Certain drugs share common suffixes or 'stems.' What type of medication is indicated by the stem '-pril'?

A drug is described as having a narrow therapeutic window. What does this imply regarding its clinical use?

How does the volume of distribution (Vd) affect the half-life of a drug?

Which pharmacokinetic process is most directly influenced by the lipophilicity of a drug molecule?

If a drug is a weak acid (pKa of 4.5), where it will be optimally absorbed?

A patient with decreased renal function is prescribed a drug that is primarily eliminated through the kidneys. What adjustment to the drug regimen is most likely needed?

A prodrug is administered to a patient. What must occur for the prodrug to exert its therapeutic effect?

What is the role of CYP450 enzymes in drug metabolism?

A patient is taking Drug A, which is known to induce CYP3A4 enzymes. If Drug B is metabolized by CYP3A4, what effect might the concurrent use of Drug A have on Drug B?

Which route of drug administration is most likely to undergo significant first-pass metabolism?

How do drugs that are weak bases behave differently than weak acids concerning their urinary excretion?

What does the term 'steady state' concentration refer to in the context of multiple dosing?

What is the primary difference between zero-order and first-order drug elimination?

Considering its impact on drug efficacy and safety, why is it essential to understand a drug's bioavailability?

What is a loading dose primarily used for?

How do plasma protein binding interactions typically affect a drug's distribution and availability?

Which factor would cause the greatest increase in the half-life of a drug that is cleared primarily by the kidneys?

What is the primary clinical implication of knowing the half-life of a medication?

A drug is known to be a substrate of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux transporter. If an inhibitor of P-gp is co-administered, what effect is anticipated on the drug's absorption and distribution?

If a drug is highly ionized at physiological pH (7.4), what impact does this have on its ability to cross cell membranes?

How does the clearance rate of a drug relate to its steady-state plasma concentration during continuous intravenous infusion?

What adjustment to the dosing interval should be made if a patient has a genetic deficiency in a CYP450 enzyme that metabolizes a specific drug?

A drug is described as having high extraction ratio. What does this imply about its metabolism and bioavailability?

During drug development, in what phase are the drug's effects tested on patients who have the condition that the drug is meant to treat?