Test 1-2: Pharmacodynamics

Front 1

Pharmacodynamics

short definition?

Back 1

study of the biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs and the molecular mechanisms by which those effects are produced

study of what drugs do to the body and how they do it

Front 2

4 reasons why a nurse needs a basic understanding of pharmacodynamics

Back 2

1. know about drug actions in order to educate patients about their medication
2. make PRN decisions
3. evaluate patients for drug responses, both beneficial and harmful
4. understand drug actions when conferring with physicians about drug therapy

Front 3

maximal efficacy

indicated by?

Back 3

the largest effect that a drug can produce

indicated by the height of the dose-response curve

Front 4

why is it not necessarily desirable to use the drug with maximal efficacy, but select a drug with an efficacy that fits the patients needs?

Back 4

despite what intuition might tell us, a drug with very high maximal efficacy is not always more desirable than a drug with lower efficacy.

We want to match the intensity of the response to the patient's needs.

Front 5

potency

indicated by?

Back 5

the amount of drug we must give to elicit an effect

indicated by the relative position of the dose-response curve along the x(dose) axis

Front 6

potent drug

Back 6

one that produces its effects at low doses

Front 7

difference between what is meant by potency of a drug and maximal efficacy

Back 7

potency and efficacy are completely independent qualities. drug A can be more effective than drug B even though drug B may be more potent. Also, drugs A and B can be equally effective even though one may be more potent

Front 8

drug receptor

Back 8

special "chemicals" in the body that most drugs interact with to produce effects

any functional macromolecule in a cell to which a drug binds to produce its effects

Front 9

general equation for the interaction between drugs and their receptors

is binding to a receptor reversible?

Back 9

D[drug] +[plus] R[receptor] -><- D -[minus] R COMPLEX -> RESPONSE

binding of a drug to its receptor is almost always reversible

Front 10

5 macromolecules, either receptors or target molecules, where drugs may bind to cause a response

Back 10

hormones
neurotransmitters
regulatory molecules
enzymes
ribosomes

Front 11

endogenous

Back 11

Developing or originating within the organisms or arising from causes within the organism [to produce]

Front 12

6 important properties of receptors and drug receptor interactions

Back 12

1. the receptors through which drugs act are normal points of control of physiologic processes
2. under physiologic conditions, receptor function is regulated by molecules supplied by the body
3. all that drugs can do at receptors is mimic or block the action of the body's own regulatory molecules
4. because drug action is limited to mimicking or blocking the body's own regulatory molecules, drugs cannot give cells new functions. rather, drugs can only alter the rate of pre-existing processes. in other words, drugs cannot make the body do anything that it is not already capable of doing
5. drugs produce their therapeutic effects by helping the body use its pre-existing capabilities to the patient's best advantage. put another way, medications simply help the body help itself.
6. in theory, it should be possible to synthesize drugs that can alter the rate of any biologic process for which receptors exist

Front 13

a simple explanation for the concept of selectivity and how it relates to potential side effects of drugs

Back 13

selectivity is a highly desirable characteristic of a drug, that the more selective a drug is, the fewer side effects it will produce

Front 14

2 basic principles of the simple occupancy theory of drug-receptor interaction

Back 14

1. the intensity of the response to a drug is proportional to the number of receptors occupied by that drug
2. a maximal response will occur when all available receptors have been occupied

Front 15

2 qualities to drugs ascribed by the modified theory

Back 15

affinity and intrinsic activity

both are independent properties

Front 16

affinity

drugs with high/low affinity?

Back 16

the strength of the attraction between drug and its receptor

drugs with high affinity are strongly attracted to their receptors

conversely drugs with low affinity are weakly attracted

Front 17

what is meant by a dose-response relationship that is graded?

Back 17

as the dosage increases, the response becomes progressively greater

(the response gets more intense with increasing dosage)

Front 18

True or False.

Potency is the amount of a drug that must be given to elicit an effect.

Back 18

True

Front 19

the simple occupancy theory states

Back 19

1. the intensity of the response to a drug is proportional to the number of receptors occupied by that drug
2. a maximal response occurs when all available receptors have been occupied

Front 20

3 examples of drugs that act as agonists

Back 20

Dobutamine (Dobutrex)
Norethindrone (Errin, Ortho Micronor, Camilia, Jolivette, or Nor-Q D)
Insulin (Humulin R)

Front 21

The therapeutic index is a measure of a drug's ____.

Back 21

safety