Pharmacology practitioner, physician assistant,

pharmacist, or dentist
 Deals with the study of drugs
 Comes from the Greek word
“Pharmakon” which means drug and
“logos” which means science
Drugs
 Are chemicals that are introduced into
the body to cause sort of change
 Any medicine that is used for treating
disease
Major Areas of Pharmacology
 Pharmacodynamics – study of the
action of drugs on living tissue
 Pharmacokinetics – study of the
processes of drug absorption,
distribution metabolism, and excretion
 Pharmacotherapeutics – study of the
use of drugs in treating disease
 Pharmacy – science of preparing and
dispensing medicines
 Posology – study of the amount of drug
that is required to produce therapeutic
effects
 Toxicology – study of the harmful
effects of drugs on living tissue
Sources of Drugs
1. Plants
2. Animal product
3. Inorganic compounds
a. Aluminum
b. Fluoride
c. Gold
d. Iron
Chemical synthesis
Genetic engineering
Process used to Name Drugs
1. Chemical Name – a name that reflect
the chemical structure of a drug
2. Generic Name – the original
designation that the drug was given
when the drug company applied for the
approval process
3. Official Name – the name under which
the drug is listed by the Bureau of food
and drugs
4. Brand Name (trade name) – the name
given to a drug by the manufacturer
 Prescription drugs – require an order
by a health professional who is licensed
to prescribe, such as physician, nurse
 Non-prescription or OTC (over the
counter) drugs – sold without
prescription in pharmacy or the health
section of a department or grocery store
 Illegal drugs – these are drugs or
chemicals used for non-therapeutic
purposes
Legal and Ethical Considerations
 Nurse Practice Act – this responsibility
includes accountability for one’s actions
and judgements during the execution of
professional duties and understanding
the rules and regulations established by
the Board of Nursing for the various
levels of entry
 Standard of Care – guidelines
developed for the practice of nursing
Guidelines in Order to Provide Quality
Nursing Care to the Patient
1. The nurse must have current license to
practice
2. The nurse must understand the
individual patient’s diagnosis and
symptoms that correlate with the
rationale for drug use.
3. The nurse should know why a
medication is ordered, the expected
outcomes, usual dosing, proper dilution,
route and rate of administration, minor
side effects to expect and adverse effect
to report, and contraindications for the
use of a particular drug.
4. The nurse must be accurate in
calculating, preparing, and administering
medications.
5. Nurses must be able to collect patient’s
data regularly on scheduled intervals
and record observations in the patient’s
chart for evaluating a treatment’s
effectiveness.
6. Nurse must take an active role in
educating the patient, family, and
significant others in preparation for
discharge from the health environment.
Types of Medication Orders
1. PRN Order – administer as needed, as
required, as necessary.
2. SINGLE Order – it is carried out for one
time only.
3. STAT Order – it is carried at once or
immediately; used on an emergency
basis.
 4. STANDING Order – it is carried out until Therapeutic Effects of Drugs
the specified time or until it is
 Palliative – relieves the symptoms of a
discontinued by another order.
disease but does not affect the disease
Parts of the Doctor’s Legal Order itself.
 Curative – treats a disease or condition.
 Name of the Patient
 Supportive – sustains body function
 Date and Time
until other treatment of the body
 Name of Drug
response can take over.
 Dose of Drug
 Substitutive – replaces body fluids or
 Route of Administration substances.
 Time of Frequency  Chemotherapeutic – destroys
 Signature of the Physician malignant cells
Effects of Drugs  Restorative – returns the body to
health.
 Therapeutic Effect – the primary
effects intended, that is, the reason the 10 Golden Rules/Rights of Drug
drug is prescribed also (Desired Effect). Administration
 Side Effect – the effect of the drug that 1. Right Drug
is unintended (also Undesired Effect). 2. Right Dose
 Drug Allergy – the immunologic  Use appropriate measuring
reaction to drug devices
 Anaphylactic Reaction – a severe  Pediatric or Geriatric Patients
allergic reaction which usually occurs  Accurate dose forms
immediately following administration of a  Accurate calculations
drug. 3. Right Time
 Drug Tolerance – a decreased  Standard abbreviations
physiologic response to the repeated
 Frequency of giving medications
administration of a drug or chemically
 PRN medication
related substances.
4. Right Route
 Idiosyncratic Effect – it is the
5. Right Patient/Client
unexpected peculiar response to drugs,
6. Right Recording or Documentation
either over response, under response,
7. Right Approach – teach your patient
different response than expected,
about the drug he/she is taking
unpredictable or unexplained responses.
8. Right Assessment
 Drug Abuse – inappropriate intake of a
9. Right Evaluation
substance, either continually or 10. Right to Refuse
periodically.
 Drug Dependence – it is a person’s Factors Influencing Drug Effects
reliance or a need to take a drug or a
 Weight
substance. Intense physical or
 Age
emotional disturbance is produced if the
 Gender
drug is withdrawn.
 Addiction – physical dependence on  Physiological factors
the drug.  Pathological factors
 Habituation – it is the emotional  Genetic factors
reliance on a drug to maintain a sense  Immunological factors
of well-being, accompanied by feelings  Environmental factors
of need or cravings for the drug (also  Physiological factors
Physiological dependence) o Placebo effect – a patient’s
 Summation – The combined effect of positive expectations about
drugs is greater than the sum of each treatment and the care received
individual agent acting independently. can positively affect the outcome
 Potentiation of the therapy
 Antagonism o Nocebo effect – negative
expectations about therapy
 Drug – Drug interactions
  Drug – Food interactions
 Drug – Laboratory interactions
Pharmacodynamics
 Pharmacodynamics is the science
dealing with interactions between the
chemical components of living systems
and the foreign chemical, including
drugs that enter on the system.
4 Ways on How the Drugs Act in the Body
1. To replace or act as substitutes for
missing chemicals
2. To increase or slow cellular activities
3. To depress or slow cellular activities
4. To interfere with the functioning of
foreign cells such as invading
microorganisms or neoplasms
Receptor Sites – are protein areas on cell
membranes that react with specific chemicals
to cause an effect within the cell.
Agonists – drugs that interact with a receptor
to stimulate a response.
Antagonists – drugs that attach to a receptor
but do not stimulate a response.
Partial Agonists – drugs that interact with a
receptor to stimulate a response but inhibit
other responses.
Pharmacokinetics
 Involves the study of absorption,
distribution, metabolism
(biotransformation) and excretion of
drugs.
4 Phases
1. Absorption
2. Distribution
3. Metabolism or Biotransformation
4. Excretion
A. Absorption
 Absorption is the process by which a
drug is transferred from its site of entry
into the body to the circulating fluids of
the body.
Important Things for Proper Drug
Absorption
a. Administer oral drugs with an adequate
amount of fluid, usually a large (8 oz)
glass of water.
b. Giver parenteral forms properly so that
they are deposited in the correct tissue
for enhanced absorption.
c. Reconstitute and dilute drugs only with
the diluent recommended by the
manufacturer in the package literature
so that drug solubility is not impaired.
3 Phases of Drug Administration
a. Enteral route – the drug is administered
directly into the gastrointestinal by oral,
rectal or nasogastric routes.
b. Parenteral route – bypass the
gastrointestinal by using intradermal,
subcutaneous, intramuscular and
intravenous.
c. Percutaneous route – administered
through inhalation, sublingual or topical
administration.
Enteral Administration
 Oral route is safe, most convenient and
relatively economical and dose forms
are readily available for most
medications.
Dose Forms
1. Capsules – small cylindrical gelatin
containers that held dry powders or
liquid medicinal agents.
2. Elixirs – are clear liquids made up of
drugs dissolved in alcohol and water.
3. Emulsions – are dispersions of small
droplets of water in oil or oil in water.
4. Lozenges or Troches – flat disks
containing medical agent in a suitably
flavored base. It is held in the mouth to
dissolve slowly, thus releasing the
therapeutic ingredients
5. Tablets – are dried powdered drugs that
have been compressed into small disk.
6. Suspensions – liquid dose forms that
contain solid, insoluble drug particles
dispersed in a liquid base. It should be
shaken well before administration to
ensure thorough mixing of the particles.
7. Syrups – dissolved in a concentrated
solution of sugars, usually sucrose.
8. Suppositories – are a solid form of
medication designed for introduction into
body orifices, dissolves and is absorbed
by the mucous membranes
Parenteral
 Means administration by any route other
than the enteral or gastrointestinal tract.
It refers to intradermal, subcutaneous,
intramuscular or intravenous injections.
 1. Ampules – are glass containers that several hours longer than
usually contain a single dose of a sublingual preparations. Any
medication. The container may be areas without hair may be used,
scored or a darkened ring around the chest, flank or upper arm areas.
neck,
2. Vials – glass containers that contain
one or more doses of a sterile
medication.
3. Mix-o-vial – are containers with two
compartments. B. Distribution
When drugs are given parenterally:  Distribution refers to the ways in which
1. The onset of drug action is generally drugs are transported by the circulating
more rapid but of shorter duration. fluids to the sites of action.
2. The dose is often smaller because drug C. Metabolism or Biotransformation
potency tends not immediately be
altered by the stomach or liver.  It is the process by which the body
3. The cost of drug therapy is often inactivates drugs.
greater, all of the drug must be  The liver is the principal site of
absorbed as rapidly and completely as metabolism.
possible or at a steady, controlled rate D. Excretion
or when a patient is unable to take a
medicine orally because of nausea or  The process by which drugs are
vomiting. eliminated by the body.
 The most important route of excretion is
Percutaneous Administration
the kidney.
 Refers to application of medications to  Drugs can be excreted by kidneys,
the skin or mucous membranes for intestines, lungs, mammary, sweat and
absorption. salivary glands.
Dose Forms
1. Creams – are semi-solid emulsions
containing medicinal agents for external
application.
2. Lotions – usually aqueous preparations
that contain suspended materials, used
as soothing agents that protect the skin
and relieves rashes and itching.
3. Ointments – are semi-solid
preparations of medicinal substance in
an oily base such as lanolin or
petrolatum.
4. Dressing – it is used to treat wounds,
such as dry gauze, sponges,
nonadherent gauze dressings.
Application: Wear gloves during application
process.
 Lotions – shake well until a uniform
appearance of the suspension is
obtained. Apply lotions firmly but gently,
by dabbing the surface.
 Ointment/Creams – apply ointments
and creams with gloved hand using firm
but gentle strokes.
o Nitroglycerin ointment –
provides relief of anginal pain for