ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Drug Half-Life - ✔✔The time it takes for one half of the original amount of a drug to
be removed from the body. A measure of the rate at which a drug is removed from the
body. Most drugs are considered to be effectively removed after about 5 half-lives.
✔✔Steady State - ✔✔If you give medications around the clock, eventually the meds you
give are equal to the meds removed in half-life
✔✔Drug Actions - ✔✔The cellular processes involved in the drug and cell interaction
✔✔Drug Effect - ✔✔The physiologic reaction of the body to the drug. Includes onset,
peak, and duration of action.
✔✔Onset - ✔✔The time it takes for the drug to elicit a therapeutic response
✔✔Peak - ✔✔The time it takes for a drug to reach its maximum therapeutic response
✔✔Duration - ✔✔The time a drug concentration is sufficient to elicit a therapeutic
response
✔✔Peak Level Drug Monitoring - ✔✔The highest blood level
✔✔Trough Level Drug Monitoring - ✔✔The lowest blood level. Used to make sure
kidneys are working before giving the next dose of meds.
✔✔Receptor Interactions - ✔✔A molecular structure within or on the outer surface of a
cell. They bind specific substances and one or more corresponding cellular effects
occurs.
, ✔✔Enzyme Interactions - ✔✔A medication that blocks an enzyme, like antihistamines
block histamine enzymes
✔✔Agonist - ✔✔Drug binds to a receptor, there is a response
✔✔Antagonist - ✔✔Drug binds to a receptor, there is no response. The drugs prevents
the binding of agonists.
✔✔Competitive Antagonist - ✔✔Drug competes with the agonist for binding to the
receptor. If it binds, there is no response
✔✔Noncompetitive Antagonist - ✔✔Drug combines with different parts of a receptor and
inactivates it, agonist then has no effect
✔✔Acute Therapy - ✔✔Requires more intensive treatment; used for critical/very sick
patients.
Ex: giving nitroglycerin for heart attack
✔✔Maintenance Therapy - ✔✔Given to maintain a healthy state with a chronic disease.
Ex: antihypertensive meds
✔✔Supplemental Therapy - ✔✔Supplies the body with something to maintain normal
function that the body lacks or cannot produce itself (ex: Insulin)
✔✔Palliative Therapy - ✔✔Therapy used to relieve symptoms, not cure a disease.
Usually with chronic, non-curable diseases.
Ex: morphine for hospice patient
✔✔Supportive Therapy - ✔✔Maintains the integrity of the body functions while the
patient is recovering from illness or trauma. Ex: provision of fluids and electrolytes to
prevent dehydration in a patient with influenza who is vomiting and has diarrhea
✔✔Prophylactic Therapy - ✔✔Therapy given prior to infectious signs to prevent the
possibility of infection. It is preventative therapy
✔✔Empiric Therapy - ✔✔The administration of antibiotics based on the practitioner's
judgment of the pathogens most likely to be causing an apparent infection; it involves
the presumptive treatment of an infection to avoid treatment delay before specific
culture information has been obtained.
✔✔Contraindications - ✔✔Any characteristic of a patient, especially a disease state,
that makes the use of a given medication dangerous for the patient. It is important to
assess for contraindications.
Ex: pregnancy, allergies, organ failure, etc