PHARMACY EXAM

23 November 23

1. a) Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body handles a drug, from the time it is
administered until it is eliminated. It is mostly described as what the body does to a
drug. Pharmacokinetics is main concerned with the four processes of absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
b) Pharmacodynamics in pharmacology is referred as the study of the biochemical and
molecular effects of drugs on the body. It is concerned with the mechanisms of action
of drugs, their effects on target molecules, and their overall impact on the body.
Pharmacodynamics is often described as what a drug does to the body.
c) In pharmacology, an agonist is a substance that binds to a receptor and activates it,
imitating the effects of a natural ligand. Agonists can be natural substances, such as
hormones or they can be synthetic drugs.
d) The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the concentration of the drug in the
body to decrease by half. It is an important parameter in pharmacology that is used to
determine how long a drug will remain in the body and how often it should be
administered.
e) In pharmacology, drug synergism occurs when the combined effect of two or more
drugs is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

2. Four sources of drugs are:

i) Plants

ii) Microorganisms: such as bacteria and fungi

iii) Animals

iv) Synthetic drugs – these are made in laboratory

3. Five presentations of drugs:

i) Solid – these are the most common type of drug presentation for example tablets, capsules
and powder

ii) Mixture – is a liquid which contains several drugs dissolve in water

iii) Topical - dosage forms are applied to the skin, mucous membranes or eyes

iv) Inhalation - Inhaled dosage forms are delivered to the lungs through a nebulizer or inhaler

v) Cyrup – is a fluid preparation of drugs in solution of sugar.

4. Six routes of drug administration are:

i) Oral

ii) Intravenous (IV)

iii) Intramuscular (IM)

iv) Rectal

v) Inhalation

vi) Sublingual

5.