NR293: Pharmacology Week 1 & 2
Questions with complete solution
2026/2027
Drug - correct answer any chemical that affects the physiologic process of a living organism
Pharmocology - correct answer Study of medicines
Generic name - correct answer Nonproprietary name (Standardized by the United States Council)
Trade name - correct answer Proprietary name (Example: Tylenol vs acetaminophen, a name a
manufacturer gives)
Pharmacokinetics - correct answer ADMEE: Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion. What
happens to the drug in the body?
Pharmacodynamics - correct answer Why did it work? How the drug works in the body. The mechanism
of a drug's action on living tissues.
Pharmacotherapeutics - correct answer Is this the right drug? Did the drug do what it was intended for?
(Did the Tylenol help the patient's headache?)
Pharmacognosy - correct answer Where was the drug derived from, plants or animals?
Absorption - correct answer It is the movement of a drug from its site of administration to the
bloodstream.
,Distribution - correct answer It is the transport of a drug in the bloodstream to its site of action
Metabolism - correct answer Biochemically alters a drug to make it usable in the body
Effect - correct answer Is the intended use of the drug?
Excretion - correct answer The elimination of the drug from the body.
Bioavailability - correct answer Extent of the drug absorption (how much drug is available for use by the
tissues after it is absorbed. Usually starts at 100%. )
Opthalmic - correct answer In the eye
Otic - correct answer In the ear
Nasal - correct answer In the nostrils/nose
Oral - correct answer Pills
Enteral - correct answer Drug absorbed into the systemic circulation through the NG-tube, oral, buccal,
sublingual, and rectal. Oral is the most commonly used enteral route, and all medication by enteral will
go through the "First-pass effect."
First-pass effect - correct answer Is a phenomenon where the concentration of an orally administered
drug is greatly reduced by liver and gastrointestinal metabolism before reaching systemic circulation.
, High-first pass effect - correct answer The liver reduces the drug more quickly, so the drug would need
to be given more frequently.
Parenteral - correct answer Route of administration is intradermal, intramuscular, intravenous, no
"first-pass effect", 100% bioavailability. Absorbed systemically immediately.
Topical - correct answer The routes of topical medications are applied on top of the skin, such as nasal
sprays, inhalation, topical ointments, eyedrops, and eardrops. All topicals avoid the first-pass route
except upper rectal medications.
Factors that can affect absorption - correct answer Foods, fluids, dosage formulation, and status of the
absorptive surface, Age, decreased gastric pH. slowed gastric emptying, slowed movement through the
entire GI tract, and blood flow to the GI tract decreased by 40-50%.
Distribution - correct answer Movement of a drug by the bloodstream to its site of action. Areas of
rapid distribution: Heart, kidneys, liver, and brain. Areas of slow distribution: Muscle, skin, and fat.
Blood-brain barrier - correct answer It is a highly selective, protective membrane of tightly packed
endothelial cells lining brain blood vessels. It protects the brain by blocking toxins and pathogens while
allowing oxygen, water, and nutrients to pass. Though crucial for homeostasis, this barrier hinders drug
delivery by blocking 95% of pharmaceuticals. Not all drugs will cross this barrier.
Factors that can affect distribution - correct answer Total body water, total body fat, perfusion, albumin
(protein in the bloodstream)
Metabolism (aka biotransformation) - correct answer Alteration of the drug so the body can use it; most
drugs will be metabolized in the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skeletal muscle.
Factors that can decrease drug metabolism - correct answer Cardiovascular function, hepatic disease,
renal insufficiency, starvation, and obstructive jaundice (obstructs the bowel flow).
Questions with complete solution
2026/2027
Drug - correct answer any chemical that affects the physiologic process of a living organism
Pharmocology - correct answer Study of medicines
Generic name - correct answer Nonproprietary name (Standardized by the United States Council)
Trade name - correct answer Proprietary name (Example: Tylenol vs acetaminophen, a name a
manufacturer gives)
Pharmacokinetics - correct answer ADMEE: Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion. What
happens to the drug in the body?
Pharmacodynamics - correct answer Why did it work? How the drug works in the body. The mechanism
of a drug's action on living tissues.
Pharmacotherapeutics - correct answer Is this the right drug? Did the drug do what it was intended for?
(Did the Tylenol help the patient's headache?)
Pharmacognosy - correct answer Where was the drug derived from, plants or animals?
Absorption - correct answer It is the movement of a drug from its site of administration to the
bloodstream.
,Distribution - correct answer It is the transport of a drug in the bloodstream to its site of action
Metabolism - correct answer Biochemically alters a drug to make it usable in the body
Effect - correct answer Is the intended use of the drug?
Excretion - correct answer The elimination of the drug from the body.
Bioavailability - correct answer Extent of the drug absorption (how much drug is available for use by the
tissues after it is absorbed. Usually starts at 100%. )
Opthalmic - correct answer In the eye
Otic - correct answer In the ear
Nasal - correct answer In the nostrils/nose
Oral - correct answer Pills
Enteral - correct answer Drug absorbed into the systemic circulation through the NG-tube, oral, buccal,
sublingual, and rectal. Oral is the most commonly used enteral route, and all medication by enteral will
go through the "First-pass effect."
First-pass effect - correct answer Is a phenomenon where the concentration of an orally administered
drug is greatly reduced by liver and gastrointestinal metabolism before reaching systemic circulation.
, High-first pass effect - correct answer The liver reduces the drug more quickly, so the drug would need
to be given more frequently.
Parenteral - correct answer Route of administration is intradermal, intramuscular, intravenous, no
"first-pass effect", 100% bioavailability. Absorbed systemically immediately.
Topical - correct answer The routes of topical medications are applied on top of the skin, such as nasal
sprays, inhalation, topical ointments, eyedrops, and eardrops. All topicals avoid the first-pass route
except upper rectal medications.
Factors that can affect absorption - correct answer Foods, fluids, dosage formulation, and status of the
absorptive surface, Age, decreased gastric pH. slowed gastric emptying, slowed movement through the
entire GI tract, and blood flow to the GI tract decreased by 40-50%.
Distribution - correct answer Movement of a drug by the bloodstream to its site of action. Areas of
rapid distribution: Heart, kidneys, liver, and brain. Areas of slow distribution: Muscle, skin, and fat.
Blood-brain barrier - correct answer It is a highly selective, protective membrane of tightly packed
endothelial cells lining brain blood vessels. It protects the brain by blocking toxins and pathogens while
allowing oxygen, water, and nutrients to pass. Though crucial for homeostasis, this barrier hinders drug
delivery by blocking 95% of pharmaceuticals. Not all drugs will cross this barrier.
Factors that can affect distribution - correct answer Total body water, total body fat, perfusion, albumin
(protein in the bloodstream)
Metabolism (aka biotransformation) - correct answer Alteration of the drug so the body can use it; most
drugs will be metabolized in the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skeletal muscle.
Factors that can decrease drug metabolism - correct answer Cardiovascular function, hepatic disease,
renal insufficiency, starvation, and obstructive jaundice (obstructs the bowel flow).
