Chapter 2:

Drugs and the Body

Copyright © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Pharmacodynamics
 Pharmacodynamics is the science of dealing with
interactions between living organisms and foreign
chemicals.
 Each living system has chemical reactions occurring
continuously in the body.
 When other chemicals (drugs) are added to the body
other effects occur.

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Drug Action
 Replace or act as a substitute for missing chemicals
 To increase or stimulate certain cellular activities
 To depress or slow cellular activities
 To interfere with the functioning of foreign cells

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Receptor Sites
 Receptor sites react to certain chemicals to cause an
effect within the cell.
 Agonists
 Noncompetitive antagonists-
 Competitive antagonists
 Drug- enzyme interactions
 Selective toxicity

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Lock and Key

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Pharmacokinetics #1
 The study of absorption, distribution, metabolism
(biotransformation), and excretion of drugs

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Pharmacokinetics #2
 Onset of drug action
 Drug half-life
 Timing of the peak effect
 Duration of drug effects
 Metabolism or biotransformation of the drug
 Site of excretion

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Pharmacokinetics #3

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Pharmacokinetics #4
 Critical Concentration
o The amount of a drug that is needed to cause a
therapeutic effect
 Loading Dose
o A higher dose than that usually used for treatment
 Dynamic Equilibrium
o The actual concentration that a drug reaches in the
body

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Dynamic Equilibrium
 The actual amount of drug that reaches the body results
for a dynamic equilibrium.
 Dynamic equilibrium is affected by:
o Absorption
o Distribution
o Biotransformation
o Excretion

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Question #1
What is an action of a drug?
A. To increase enzymatic reactions in the body
B. To alter a missing chemical
C. To depress or slow cellular activities
D. To increase the effect of foreign substances

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Answer to Question #1
C. To depress or slow cellular activities

Rationale: An action of a drug is not to increase

enzymatic reactions in the body; alter a missing
chemical; nor to increase the effect of foreign
substances.

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Absorption #1

 What happens to a drug from the time it is introduced to

the body until it reaches the circulating fluids and tis-
sues

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Absorption #2
 Administration
o Affected by route of administration
o Oral medications affected by presence of food in the
stomach
 Passive diffusion
 Active transport

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Factors Affecting Absorption

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Distribution
The movement of a drug to the body’s tissues
 Drug’s lipid solubility and ionization- blood brain barrier
 Perfusion of the reactive tissue
 Placenta/Breast Milk

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Biotransformation
 The liver is the single most important site for
biotransformation (metabolism).
 Breaks down medications
 Helps to prevents medications from causing adverse
effects on the body
 First pass effect

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Excretion
 Removal of drugs from the body
 Kidneys play the most important role in excretion of
medication

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Half-Life #1
 Half-life is the time it takes for the amount of drug in the
body to decrease to one-half the peak level.
 Half-life is affected by absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion.

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Half-Life #2

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Calculating Half-life

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Factors Influencing Drugs Effect

 Weight  Genetic Factors

 Age  Immunological Factors
 Gender  Psychological Factors
 Physiological Factors  Environmental Factors
 Pathological Factors  Drug Tolerance
 Cumulative Effect

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Drug-to-Drug Interactions
 Can occur any time two or more drugs are taken
together.
 Can occur at:
o Site of absorption
o During distribution
o During biotransformation
o During excretion
o At the site of action

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Drug-Food Interactions
 Certain foods interact with drugs
 In most cases, drugs are best taken on an empty
stomach

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Drug–Laboratory Test Interactions
 Drugs may alter the results of lab testing.
 Laboratory test may be used to monitor the effects of
other medications.

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Question #2
Two patients are receiving injections of penicillin G. One
patient is a male, 35 years old, weighing 165 pounds.
The other patient is female, 18 years old, weighing 125
pounds. You know that you will see the effects of the
drug first in the male patient. What is the rationale for
this?
A. Women have less fat cells than men
B. Men have more vascular muscles than women
C. Women have a smaller circulatory system than men
D. Drugs are generally tested on healthy males

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Answer to Question #2
B. Men have more vascular muscles than women

Rationale: When giving IM injections it is important to

remember that men have more vascular muscles, so the
effects of the drug will be seen sooner in men than in
women.

Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved