Pharmacology Basics

Orientation
to
Pharmacology
Pharmacology
A science that draws on information from multiple disciplines,
including:
Anatomy
Physiology
Psychology
Chemistry
Microbiology
Four Basic Terms
rug
Any chemical that can affect li!ing processes
Pharmacology
"tudy of drugs and their interactions with li!ing systems
Clinical pharmacology
"tudy of drugs in humans
Therapeutics
A#$#a# pharmaco%therapeutics
The use of drugs to diagnose, pre!ent, or treat disease or to
pre!ent pregnancy
Primary concern studied in this te&t
Orientation to Pharmacology
Properties of an ideal drug
The therapeutic ob'ecti!e
Factors that determine the intensity of drug responses
Therapeutics
Three Most (mportant Properties of an (deal rug
)# *ffecti!eness
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Pharmacology Basics
+# "afety
,# "electi!ity
Additional Properties of an (deal rug
-e!ersible action
Predictability
*ase of administration
Freedom from drug interactions
.ow cost
Chemical stability
"imple generic name
But because no drug is ideal/
Therapeutic Ob'ecti!e of rug Therapy
To pro!ide ma&imum benefit with minimum harm
Factors That etermine the (ntensity of rug -esponses
Administration
Pharmaco$inetics
Pharmacodynamics
"ources of indi!idual !ariation

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Pharmacology Basics
Administration
(mportant determinants of drug responses: dosage si0e, route, timing
Medication errors
Patient adherence
Pharmaco$inetics
etermining how much of administered dose gets to its sites of action
(mpact of the body on drugs
Four ma'or pharmaco$inetic processes
rug absorption
rug distribution
rug metabolism
rug e&cretion

Pharmacodynamics
(mpact of drugs on the body
rug%receptor interaction
Binding of the drug to its receptor
Patient1s functional state
(nfluences pharmacodynamic processes
Placebo effects
Also help determine the responses a drug elicits
"ources of (ndi!idual 2ariation
Physiologic !ariables
Age, gender, weight
Pathologic !ariables
iminished function of $idneys and li!er
3enetic !ariables
Can alter metabolism of drugs and predispose patient to
uni4ue interactions
rug interactions
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