Pharmacology
WEEK 1
TOPIC OUTLINE
(1) Pharmacology
(2) History of Pharmacology
(3) Why Study Pharmacology
(4) Basic Competencies
(5) Drug vs. Medicine
(6) Pharmacotherapy/Drug Therapy
(7) Pharmacology is Challenging and Always Changing
(8) Sources of Drugs
(9) Drug Nomenclature/Naming of Drugs
(10) Drug Classifications
(11) Methods of Dispensing Drugs
Pharmacology
 “pharmakon” - medicine
 “logos” – study
 originated as branch of Physiology
 study of drugs
drug origin, preparations properties
 how drugs are administered
 where drugs travel in body
 responses drug produce (uses, actions, effects)
History of Pharmacology
 ever since the existence of man e.g. roots, herbs,
tree bark, plant seeds
 there was no rational use, choices were thru
observation
 with time and by trial and error, they began
to differentiate between those that were
poisonous and those not
 2700 BC Middle East and China – use o laxatives
and emetics to induce vomiting
 1550 BC Ancient Egypt – cradle of pharmacology
 Ebers Papryrus which are written over 3000
years ago, listed over 700 different remedy
used to treat specific ailments
 Castor oil as laxative, opium for pain, moulds
from bread wounds
Hippocrates in 4th century BC believed disease
came from natural causes and not from spiritual
causes
 People had natural ability to overcome
disease and that we should find ways to
assist body’s natural healing process
 Galen – Roman physician initiated common use of
prescriptions, wrote 200 books which included
preparations of crude vegetable drugs
Paracelus – Swiss scientist first advocated the use of
single drugs rather a mixture as a means of treating
diseases
 Believed that dosage of single drug could be
regulated more precisely than that of
complex mixture
 Recognized dangers of giving too much or too
little medicine to a specific patient
 All things are poisons which makes a thing a
poison
1849
 First independent pharmacological lab was
set up at Dorpat in German University
 Osward Schiedeberg is considered the Father
of Pharmacology because he became the first
University Professor of Pharmacology
 He attracted large number of enthusiastic
workers to his lab and many of them became
prominent pharmacologists later on such
 John Jacob Abel of the USA (Father of
Pharmacology in US) and Arthur Robertson of
UK
 1897 Felix Hoffman – aspirin from waste products of
dye
1929 Alexander Flemming – discovered penicillin
from molds
 Dr. Abelardo Aguilar – Filipino scientist discpvered
erythromycin (usually for tonsillitis) in 1949
 Died in 1993 without being recognized and
rewarded for his discovery
 Reports said Aguilar discovered antibiotic
from Aspergillus species of fungi in 1949 and
sent samples to Indiana-based
pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilli Co.
 The drug firm allegedly registered propriety
name Ilosone for antibiotic
Why Study Pharmacology
 You will be responsible for administering certain
drugs
 for assisting patients self-administer other drugs
 Not understanding how medications work places
you and the pt in danger
Basic Competencies
Knowledge
Drug action classifications
Expected therapeutic benefit of medication
 Expected monitoring
 Illness or injury processes
Developmental stages
Possible side effects/adverse reactions &
interventions for same
 Emergency interventions for anaphylactic reactions
 Five-plus-five rights of administration
Drug/Drug and Food/Drug Interactions
Calculation of drug dosages
 Federal and state legal requirements related to
storage, controlled substances, etc.
Skills
 Dexterity to open medication packaging
 Read, write English
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Pharmacology
WEEK 1
Read, write and comprehend latin phrases relevant  genetics
to administration of medication Sources of Drugs
Measuring medication dosages
Math calculations Natural
Routes of administration Plants  roots, bark, sap, leaves, flowers,
seeds
Documentation e.g reserpine from Rauwolfia
 Administration Vomitora, Digitalis from foxglove,
Therapeutic effect opium from poppy plant
 Principles of documentation Animal  liver extracts for anemia
Sources insulin extracted from pork and
Drug vs. Medicine beef pancreas
heparin from pig intestines
Drug anticoagulants from other animal
Derived from dutch word “droog” – dry (medicinal organs
plants preserved by drying) vaccines (cholera, B, smallpox,
 Legal Definition of Drug (Federal Food, Drug, and polio, and antirabies and sera
Cosmetic Act) (antidiptheria and antitetanus)
 Includes “articles intended for use in Minerals  ferrous sulfate
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or  magnesium sulfate
prevention of disease in man or other aluminum hydroxide and sodium
animals bicarbonate
 substance used to alter mind or body of person or radioactive isotopes of iodine,
animal consuming it phosphorus and gold are employed
ma be used for medical, spiritual, or recreational for diagnosis/treatment of diseases
purposes particularly malignant conditions
 often has negative connotation Microbiological  fungi, moulds, bacteria
sources penicilin from Penicilium notatum
Medicine chloramphenicol from
 therapeutic drugs used in prevention or treatment Streptomces venezuelae
of diseases neomycin from Streptomyces
after drug is administered, it is called medication fradiae

Pharmacotherapy/Drug Therapy Synthetic

 application of drugs for Advantages  chemically pure
 disease prevention  process of preparing them is
 treatment of suffering easier and cheaper
therapeutic objective  control on quality of drug is
 provide maximum benefit with minimum excellent
harm more effective and safer
“cured yesterday of m disease, I died last night of my
physician” – Matthew Prior Biosynthetic
“The remedy worse than the disease” (1714)  genetically engineered drugs
 developed by mixing discoveries from molecular
Pharmacology is Challenging and Always Changing biology, recombinant DNA technology, DNA alteration,
 10,000 drugs currently available gene splicing, immunology, and immunotherapy
each drug has its own characteristics e.g vaccines (Recombinex HB – a hepatitis-B vaccine):
 therapeutic applications recombinant DNA engineered insulins (Humulin –
 interactions human insulin) for diabetes
 side effects
 mechanisms of action Drug Nomenclature/Naming of Drugs
many drugs prescribed for more than one disease
drugs elicit different responses depending on Chemical Name
individual factors chemical/molecular structure
 age
 chemical name: -(diethylamino)-N-(,-
 sex
dimethylphenyl monohydrochloride
 body mass
(C14HN2O,HCL,H20)
 health status
generic name: acetamide

MATALOG, KBT (BSN-1A) 2

Pharmacology
WEEK 1
brand name: Lidocaine HCI
Generic Name
 abbreviated and approved name of the drug
official medical name assigned by producer in
collaboration with FOOD and Drugs Board and
Nomenclature Committee
may be used be any interested party
 removed confusion of giving several names to the
same drug regardless of who manufactures them
not capitalized
 paracetamol
 amoxicillin

Brand/Trade Name
names given to drugs by manufacturing and
marketing company
copyrighted terms selected by a manufacturer to
designate a particular product
starts with capital letter
one drug could have so many trade/brand names
Generic name: acetaminophen/paracetamol have
about 30 trade names
Tylenol, Paramol, Panadol, Calpol, Tempra

Drug Classifications
1. According to body system they affect
 CNS, cardio, GI
2. According to therapeutic use or clinical
indications
 Antacids, anticoagulants
3. According to physiologic or chemical action
 Anticholinergics, beta-adrenergic
blockers, vasodilators

Methods of Dispensing Drugs

1. Prescription only Medications (POM)
 Need a prescription by a physician
and must be controlled from abuse
and dependence
 Antibiotics, anti-hypertensives,
sedatives
2. Non-Prescription/Over-The-Counter (OTC)
 Available without special restrcitions
 General considered to be safe
enough that most persons will not
hurt themselves accidentally by
taking it as instructed
 Pain relievers blood tonics, vitamin
preparations, oral rehydration
solutions (ORS), antacids

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