Pharmacology Part 1

Front 1

What is the half-life of a medicine?

Back 1

- length of time when 1/2 dosage is still active in the body

Front 2

What are the biological effects of a drug used for?

Back 2

- treatment
- diagnosis
- prevention

Front 3

What is tolerance?

Back 3

- a condition in which the dose of a drug must be increased (over time) to obtain the desired effect -or- a decreasing intensity of responsiveness to a drug over time

Front 4

What is tachyphylaxis?

Back 4

- rapidly developing tolerance to a drug -or- a rapid decrease in responsiveness to a drug

Front 5

What is an additive effect?

Back 5

- the effect of two chemicals acting simultaneously on the same receptors and is the simple sum of the effects that they would have if acting alone

Front 6

What is synergism?

Back 6

- the presence of one chemical that enhances the effects of the second
- when 2 drugs act on a target organ by different mechanisms of action and the effect of the pair is greater than the sum of the separate effects of the drugs

Front 7

What is the pharmaceutical phase?

Back 7

- method by which a drug is delivered

Front 8

What are the benefits of inhalation (of a drug)?

Back 8

- immediate onset of action at desired site
- reduced systemic side effects
- smaller doses required
- ability of patient to self-administer

Front 9

What is the pharmacokinetic phase?

Back 9

- time required for drug absorption, distribution, metabolization, & excretion

Front 10

What is potentiation?

Back 10

- special case of synergism in which one drug has no effect, but can increase the activity of the other drug
- also, the action of these two drugs result in the total effect being greater than the sum of the independent effects

Front 11

What is the pharmacodynamic phase?

Back 11

- mechanism of action by which a drug causes its therapeutic effect

Front 12

What is an agonist?

Back 12

- a substance that binds to a receptor and triggers a response in the cell

Front 13

What is an antagonist?

Back 13

- a substance that binds to a receptor but fails to activate the receptor and actually blocks it from activation by agonists

Front 14

What are the prescription requirements?

Back 14

- patient name
- drug name
- dose
- frequency
- route of administration

Front 15

What are the normal routes of administration (fastest to slowest)?

Back 15

- IV (intravenous)
- Inhaled (aerosol to lung)
- IM (intramuscular)
- Sub Q (subcutaneous injection)
- Sublingual or rectal absorption
- Oral
- Topical

Front 16

What should be checked BEFORE administering a drug?

Back 16

- patient's chart information
- dosage
- response to previous administration of drug
- medication label
- dates of expiration or opening of the drug
- patient's ID/name band

Front 17

What is a solute?

Back 17

- active ingredient of a mixture
- substance that is dissolved inside the solvent
- expressed as mg or g

Front 18

What is the formula for finding a solute?

Back 18

solute (mg)= solvent (ml) x concentration

Front 19

What is the solvent (ml)?

Back 19

- volume/medium that your active ingredient is dissolved in

Front 20

What is the formula for finding the solvent?

Back 20

solvent (ml)= mg or solute
_______ _______________
mg/ml concentration

Front 21

What is a solution?

Back 21

- stable mixture of 2 or more substances
- expressed as mg/ml
- expressed as a ration

Front 22

What is the concentration?

Back 22

- the % solution of the active ingredient in the drug
- it is the weight (in grams or mg) of solute dissolved in a volume (in ml) of solvent, expressed as a %

- 1% solution means that 1 gram (1000mg) of solute is dissolved in 100ml of solvent
- 1000mg/100ml = 10mg/ml

Front 23

What are the 2 divisions of the nervous system?

Back 23

- sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system

Front 24

What are the characteristics of the sympathetic nervous system?

Back 24

- "adrenergic" (relating to nerve fibers that release epinephrine/norepinephrine at the synapse
- uses epi/norepinephrine as neurotransmitters
- has (3) receptor sites of stimulation
- fight or flight
- dilates pupils
- dilates bronchioles
- speeds up HR
- secretes adrenaline

Front 25

What are the characteristics of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Back 25

- "cholinergic"
- uses acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter
- "feed or breed"
- constricts pupils
- slows down HR
- constricts bronchioles (results in bronchoconstriction)

Front 26

What are the 3 adrenergic receptors?

Back 26

- alpha: vasoconstriction & vasopressor
(increases BP)
- Beta 1: increased cardiac rate & strength of
contraction
- Beta 2: smooth muscle relaxation
bronchodilation, stimulates
mucociliary activity, minor inhibition
of inflammatory action

Front 27

What are the andrenergic receptor strengths?

Back 27

0= none
1= weak
2= moderate
3= strong
4= very strong

Front 28

What does stimulation of adrenergic receptors via sympathomimetic drugs cause?

Back 28

- activation of adenylate cylclase
- increases conversion of ATP into cylic 3'5' AMP
- relaxes smooth muscle in airway
- results in bronchodilation