Chapter 1 Pharm

a science that draws on information from multiple disciplines including: anatomy, physiology, psychology, chemistry, and microbiology

any chemical that can affect living processes

study of drugs and their interactions with living systems

study of drugs in humans

AKA pharmacotherapeutics
the use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease or to prevent pregnancy

effectiveness
safety
selectivity

most important property a drug can have

drug cannot produce harmful effects

drug elicits only the response for which it is given
certain drugs are more selective than other drugs

certain anticancer drugs can increase the risk for infection
opioid analgesics at high doses can cause respiratory depression
aspirin and other erlated drugs canc ause severe gastric ulceration, perforation, and bleeding when they are taken for prolonged periods of time

reversible action
predictability
ease of administration
freedom from drug interactions
low cost
chemical stability
simple generic name

to provide maximum benefit with minimum harm
want the least amount of side effects

administration
pharmacokinetics
pharmacodynamics
sources of individual variation

important determinats of drug responses: dosage size, route and timing
medication errors
patient adherence (do they take them like they are supposed to?)

determining how much of the administered dose gets to its sites of action
impact of the body on drugs

drug absorption
drug distribution
drug metabolism
drug excretion

impact of drugs on the body

binding of the drug to its receptor

influences pharmacodynamic processes

also help to determine the responses a drug elicits

age, gender and weight (impacts dosage)

diminished function of kidneys and livers

can alter the metabolism of drugs and predispose the patient to unique interactions

on other drugs that may interact with other medications