Importance Of Chemistry In Pharmacy

In the profession of Pharmacy, a lot of chemistry is required. From administering the right amount of medication, to making a new compound. The chemistry in pharmacy helps save lives and cure diseases. Pharmaceutical science studies how different medicines react chemically with the chemicals in the human body. All life is basically a sum of different reactions within the body to sustain life. Pharmaceutical substances are used to alter the effects of certain reactions in the body. The effect of a drug varies as for what it is used for in the body. Pharmacists are experts in drug administration and dosage for patients that would need a certain medicines. Pharmaceutical compounds are designed to affect a chemical in the body, however they rarely …show more content…
The human body has many life sustaining compounds needed to function and any of which could suffer due to disease or health conditions. Whenever multiple drugs are being taken there’s always a drug interaction between them. This tends to alter the drug’s effects and make it ineffective or cause an overdose of a certain ingredient. For example, older men with degenerating conditions may mix Sildenafil, the generic for Viagra and mix it with heart medications like Nitroglycerin, causing blood pressure to drop below average. Even if a product is not a drug, they can still alter the effects of a medication. Your body handles supplements, herbs, vitamins, and food the same way, they all have a way of mixing with prescription drugs or and OTC drug. For example, Ginkgo Biloba, a botanical product can reduce the effects of blood thinning medications and increase chances of a stroke. Drugs can also make a condition worse because of the side effects. A patient with High blood pressure should be careful when taking nasal decongestants, side effects cause high blood pressure. Drugs may also be altered with the food or drink. In some cases the drug is absorbed differently when taken with food and may affect the drug’s intended use, or help the drug be absorbed. Tetracycline is an antibiotic that cannot be mixed with dairy because it affects how the drug is absorbed in the blood stream. Another example is grapefruit juice, a single glass can raise the level of some medications in the blood, and this affects several types of drugs used to treat heart conditions. Scientist discovered the effectiveness of grapefruit juice by mistake; when volunteers were given grapefruit juice to mask the flavor of the medication. Grapefruit juice blunts the effects of enzymes use to break down drugs, which results in higher levels of medication in the blood, and caused health problems. Your