Pharmacology Overview Quiz

Study Notes

Science that studies drugs, their classification, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, side effects, and therapeutic uses.
A drug is a substance used for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of diseases.

Studies how the body handles a drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion).

Studies the pharmacological & physiological effects of drugs and their mechanism of action.

Medical Pharmacology: Studies chemicals administered to achieve a beneficial therapeutic effect or for their toxic effects on parasites infecting the patient.
Toxicology: Studies the harmful effects of chemicals on living systems.

Studies the movement of a drug over time through the body.
The plasma concentration of drugs influences the drug's action.
Clinicians need to understand the speed of onset, intensity, and duration of drug action, which are influenced by ADME:
- Absorption: How the drug enters the bloodstream from the site of administration.
- Distribution: How the drug moves from the bloodstream to tissues and organs.
- Metabolism: How the drug is chemically transformed, mainly in the liver.
- Excretion: The elimination of the drug and its metabolites from the body, primarily through urine and feces.

The time it takes for a drug's effects to become noticeable.
Typically ranges from 20 minutes to over an hour, depending on the drug and route.

The time at which the body displays the maximum plasma concentration of the drug.

Enteral: Drugs are administered through the gastrointestinal tract.
- Oral: Swallowing the drug.
- Sublingual: Placing the drug under the tongue.
- Rectal: Administering the drug through the rectum.
Parenteral: Drugs are administered through injection.
- IV (intravascular): Directly into a vein.
- SC (subcutaneous): Into the subcutaneous tissue, usually the upper arm or abdomen.
- IM (intramuscular): Into a muscle.

Drug properties: Water or lipid solubility, ionization.
Therapeutic objectives: Rapid onset of action, long-term administration, or localization to a specific site.

Oral: Drugs are absorbed primarily from the duodenum, but some are absorbed from the stomach.
Sublingual: Rapid absorption into the bloodstream, bypassing the stomach and intestines.
- Advantages:
  - Rapid onset of action.
  - Bypasses first-pass metabolism, leading to higher bioavailability.
  - Excess drug can be easily removed from the mouth in emergencies.
Rectal: Used when oral route is unavailable, useful for patients who vomit or are unconscious.
- Advantages:
  - Bypasses first-pass metabolism by a certain extent (50%).
  - Suitable for children.