PHAR 100 EXAM 2O25/2026 STUDY GUIDE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Codeine - 0.5% opium
Pain relief
Morphine - 10% opium
Immense pain reliever
Gold standard drug
Curare - Indigenous people dipped arrows, causing paralysis to animals
Paul Enrich (father of chemo)
Gerhard Domagk
Alexander Fleming
Selman Waksman
Morton - Organ arsenicals--> syphilis
Sulpha drugs
Penicillin
Streptomycin (TB)
Ether
Receptor - Molecule located on the inside or outside of a cell that has a regulatory role in
homeostasis
Agonists - Drugs that bind to a receptor and stimulate it
Antagonists - Drugs that bind to a receptor but block the response that it normally elicits
Dose-Response Relationship - Intensity is proportional to dosage
Low dose = little response; not enough receptors activated
Threshold dose = enough receptors activated to elicit response
,Past threshold = small increments in dose lead to increasing intensity in response
Max effect = maximal response; once you increase the dose past maximum there is no increase in
response
ED 50 - Dose that results in 50% of the maximum effect
Dose that is effective in 50% of the population
Efficacy - The maximum response that can be produced by a drug
Potency - The strength of the drug
The amount that must be given in order to get a certain response
Therapeutic Range - The dose of a drug that keeps blood concentrations above the minimum needed
for a response but below the toxic response concentration
In between ineffective and toxic
Bioavailability - The fraction of the administered drug that enters the bloodstream (i.e. 100% for IV
administration)
Absorption - Movement of a drug from site of administration to the blood
Distribution/Redistribution - Movement of a drug from blood to the site of action (i.e. tissue)
Metabolism/Biotransformation - Conversion of a drug to a different chemical compound; occurs
mainly in the liver
Excretion - Moving a drug and its metabolites out of the body
Half Life - Time needed for the liver and kidney to remove half of the drug from the body
Teratogenesis - Drug produces birth defects
, Therapeutic Index (TI) - = TD50/ED50
Higher TI = Safer Drug
Lower TI = Greater chance of toxicity
TD 50 - The dose that is toxic in 50% of the population
Drug-Drug Interactions - One drug changes the pharmacological effect of a second drug
- alters the absorption, metabolism or excretion of the other
Tyramine (Drug-Food Interactions) - Found in cheese; raises blood pressure
Normally broken down in the liver by MAO
Drugs that inhibit MAO (i.e. antidepressants) mean that it can't be broken down; results in increased
blood pressure
Grapefruit (Drug-Food Interactions) - Inhibits enzymes in the GI tract that metabolize drugs
Results in higher blood levels of the drug; increased risk of OD
Placebo - An inert substance masquerading as a drug
Ataxia - Loss of coordination
Neurogenesis - New neurons are continuously generated
Neuroplasticity - Connection between neurons are constantly being reshaped
Synapse - The junction between two neurons; where one neuron's axon ends and the other's
dendrite/cell body begins
Neurotransmitters - Endogenous chemicals that transmit a signal between two neurons
Glutamate - Primary excitatory neurotransmitter; acts on glutamatergic receptors
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Codeine - 0.5% opium
Pain relief
Morphine - 10% opium
Immense pain reliever
Gold standard drug
Curare - Indigenous people dipped arrows, causing paralysis to animals
Paul Enrich (father of chemo)
Gerhard Domagk
Alexander Fleming
Selman Waksman
Morton - Organ arsenicals--> syphilis
Sulpha drugs
Penicillin
Streptomycin (TB)
Ether
Receptor - Molecule located on the inside or outside of a cell that has a regulatory role in
homeostasis
Agonists - Drugs that bind to a receptor and stimulate it
Antagonists - Drugs that bind to a receptor but block the response that it normally elicits
Dose-Response Relationship - Intensity is proportional to dosage
Low dose = little response; not enough receptors activated
Threshold dose = enough receptors activated to elicit response
,Past threshold = small increments in dose lead to increasing intensity in response
Max effect = maximal response; once you increase the dose past maximum there is no increase in
response
ED 50 - Dose that results in 50% of the maximum effect
Dose that is effective in 50% of the population
Efficacy - The maximum response that can be produced by a drug
Potency - The strength of the drug
The amount that must be given in order to get a certain response
Therapeutic Range - The dose of a drug that keeps blood concentrations above the minimum needed
for a response but below the toxic response concentration
In between ineffective and toxic
Bioavailability - The fraction of the administered drug that enters the bloodstream (i.e. 100% for IV
administration)
Absorption - Movement of a drug from site of administration to the blood
Distribution/Redistribution - Movement of a drug from blood to the site of action (i.e. tissue)
Metabolism/Biotransformation - Conversion of a drug to a different chemical compound; occurs
mainly in the liver
Excretion - Moving a drug and its metabolites out of the body
Half Life - Time needed for the liver and kidney to remove half of the drug from the body
Teratogenesis - Drug produces birth defects
, Therapeutic Index (TI) - = TD50/ED50
Higher TI = Safer Drug
Lower TI = Greater chance of toxicity
TD 50 - The dose that is toxic in 50% of the population
Drug-Drug Interactions - One drug changes the pharmacological effect of a second drug
- alters the absorption, metabolism or excretion of the other
Tyramine (Drug-Food Interactions) - Found in cheese; raises blood pressure
Normally broken down in the liver by MAO
Drugs that inhibit MAO (i.e. antidepressants) mean that it can't be broken down; results in increased
blood pressure
Grapefruit (Drug-Food Interactions) - Inhibits enzymes in the GI tract that metabolize drugs
Results in higher blood levels of the drug; increased risk of OD
Placebo - An inert substance masquerading as a drug
Ataxia - Loss of coordination
Neurogenesis - New neurons are continuously generated
Neuroplasticity - Connection between neurons are constantly being reshaped
Synapse - The junction between two neurons; where one neuron's axon ends and the other's
dendrite/cell body begins
Neurotransmitters - Endogenous chemicals that transmit a signal between two neurons
Glutamate - Primary excitatory neurotransmitter; acts on glutamatergic receptors
