Pharmacology
Chapter 21
Chabner: The Language of Medicine
St. Lawrence College
Course: BIOL 1050 - Biomedical Sciences for HIM Professionals
Outline Reviewer and Notes
Drugs (medicines) - substances used to prevent or treat a disease or condition
• Sources:
o Plants - roots, leaves, and fruit
• Digitalis - cardiac medicine
o Molds - penicillin
o Animals - pharmaceutical hormones, antivenoms
Vitamins - drugs that are isolated from plant or animal sources and are contained in foods
Pharmacist - prepares and dispenses drugs through a pharmacy (drugstore) on a written order from a physician (prescription)
Pharmacy technician - helps licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients
Pharmacology - study of the discovery, properties, and uses of drugs
Pharmacologist
• either an MD (doctor of medicine) or a PhD (doctor of philosophy)
• specializes in the study of medicines
• Subdivisions:
o Medicinal chemistry - study of new drug synthesis and the relationship between chemical structure and biologic
effects
o Pharmacodynamics - study of a drug's effects in the body
o Pharmacokinetics - study of a drug's:
• absorption (how drugs pass into the bloodstream)
• distribution into body compartments
• metabolism (changes that drugs undergo within the body)
• excretion (removal of the drug from the body) over a period of time
o Molecular pharmacology
• involves the interaction of drugs and subcellular entities, such as DNA, RNA, and enzymes
• provides important information about the mechanism of action of drugs
o Chemotherapy
• study of drugs that destroy microorganisms, parasites, or malignant cells within the body
• includes treatment of infectious diseases and cancer
o Toxicology - study of the harmful effects of drugs and chemicals on the body
• Antidotes - substances given to neutralize unwanted effects of drugs
NAMES
3 different names:
• Chemical name
o specifies the exact chemical makeup of the drug
o Often long and complicated
• Generic name
o identifies the drug legally and scientifically
o typically shorter and less complicated
1
, Pharmacology
Chapter 21
Chabner: The Language of Medicine
St. Lawrence College
Course: BIOL 1050 - Biomedical Sciences for HIM Professionals
Outline Reviewer and Notes
• Brand name (trade name)
o private property of the individual drug manufacturer, and no competitor may use it
o has the superscript ® after or before the name indicating that it is a registered brand name
STANDARDS
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• has legal responsibility for deciding whether a drug may be distributed and sold
• sets strict standards for efficacy (effectiveness), safety, and purity
United States Pharmacopeia (USP) - reviews the available commercial drugs and continually reappraises their effectiveness in specific
medical conditions
REFERENCES
Hospital formulary
• most complete and up-to-date listing
• gives information about the characteristics of drugs and their clinical usage (application to patient care) as approved by that
particular hospital
Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR)
• published by a private firm, and drug manufacturers pay to have their products listed
• useful reference with several different indices to identify drugs, along with a complete description of the drug's properties
and approved indications
ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION
• how it is taken into the body
• determines how well it is absorbed into the blood, and its speed and duration of action
Methods of Administering Drugs
• Oral administration
o drugs given by mouth
o slowly absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach or intestinal wall
• Sublingual administration
o drugs placed under the tongue dissolve in the saliva
• Rectal administration
o inserted into the rectum
o suppositories (cone-shaped objects containing drugs) and aqueous solutions
• Parenteral administration
o injection of drug from a syringe (tube) through a hollow needle placed under the skin, into a muscle, vein, or body
cavity
o Types of parenteral injections and instillations
• lntracavitary instillation - this injection is made into a body cavity, such as the peritoneal or pleural cavity
▪ Pleurodesis - the drug causes the pleural surfaces to adhere, thereby obliterating the pleural space
and preventing the accumulation of fluid
• lntradermal injection - this shallow injection is made into the upper layers of the skin and is used chiefly in
skin testing for allergic reactions
• Subcutaneous (hypodermic) injection (subQ) - small hypodermic needle is introduced into the
subcutaneous tissue under the skin
• Intramuscular injection (IM) - buttock or upper arm is the usual site for this injection into muscle
• lntrathecal instillation - instillation is into the space under the membranes (meninges) surrounding the
spinal cord and brain
• Intravenous injection (IV) - this injection is given directly into a vein
• Inhalation
2
Chapter 21
Chabner: The Language of Medicine
St. Lawrence College
Course: BIOL 1050 - Biomedical Sciences for HIM Professionals
Outline Reviewer and Notes
Drugs (medicines) - substances used to prevent or treat a disease or condition
• Sources:
o Plants - roots, leaves, and fruit
• Digitalis - cardiac medicine
o Molds - penicillin
o Animals - pharmaceutical hormones, antivenoms
Vitamins - drugs that are isolated from plant or animal sources and are contained in foods
Pharmacist - prepares and dispenses drugs through a pharmacy (drugstore) on a written order from a physician (prescription)
Pharmacy technician - helps licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients
Pharmacology - study of the discovery, properties, and uses of drugs
Pharmacologist
• either an MD (doctor of medicine) or a PhD (doctor of philosophy)
• specializes in the study of medicines
• Subdivisions:
o Medicinal chemistry - study of new drug synthesis and the relationship between chemical structure and biologic
effects
o Pharmacodynamics - study of a drug's effects in the body
o Pharmacokinetics - study of a drug's:
• absorption (how drugs pass into the bloodstream)
• distribution into body compartments
• metabolism (changes that drugs undergo within the body)
• excretion (removal of the drug from the body) over a period of time
o Molecular pharmacology
• involves the interaction of drugs and subcellular entities, such as DNA, RNA, and enzymes
• provides important information about the mechanism of action of drugs
o Chemotherapy
• study of drugs that destroy microorganisms, parasites, or malignant cells within the body
• includes treatment of infectious diseases and cancer
o Toxicology - study of the harmful effects of drugs and chemicals on the body
• Antidotes - substances given to neutralize unwanted effects of drugs
NAMES
3 different names:
• Chemical name
o specifies the exact chemical makeup of the drug
o Often long and complicated
• Generic name
o identifies the drug legally and scientifically
o typically shorter and less complicated
1
, Pharmacology
Chapter 21
Chabner: The Language of Medicine
St. Lawrence College
Course: BIOL 1050 - Biomedical Sciences for HIM Professionals
Outline Reviewer and Notes
• Brand name (trade name)
o private property of the individual drug manufacturer, and no competitor may use it
o has the superscript ® after or before the name indicating that it is a registered brand name
STANDARDS
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• has legal responsibility for deciding whether a drug may be distributed and sold
• sets strict standards for efficacy (effectiveness), safety, and purity
United States Pharmacopeia (USP) - reviews the available commercial drugs and continually reappraises their effectiveness in specific
medical conditions
REFERENCES
Hospital formulary
• most complete and up-to-date listing
• gives information about the characteristics of drugs and their clinical usage (application to patient care) as approved by that
particular hospital
Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR)
• published by a private firm, and drug manufacturers pay to have their products listed
• useful reference with several different indices to identify drugs, along with a complete description of the drug's properties
and approved indications
ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION
• how it is taken into the body
• determines how well it is absorbed into the blood, and its speed and duration of action
Methods of Administering Drugs
• Oral administration
o drugs given by mouth
o slowly absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach or intestinal wall
• Sublingual administration
o drugs placed under the tongue dissolve in the saliva
• Rectal administration
o inserted into the rectum
o suppositories (cone-shaped objects containing drugs) and aqueous solutions
• Parenteral administration
o injection of drug from a syringe (tube) through a hollow needle placed under the skin, into a muscle, vein, or body
cavity
o Types of parenteral injections and instillations
• lntracavitary instillation - this injection is made into a body cavity, such as the peritoneal or pleural cavity
▪ Pleurodesis - the drug causes the pleural surfaces to adhere, thereby obliterating the pleural space
and preventing the accumulation of fluid
• lntradermal injection - this shallow injection is made into the upper layers of the skin and is used chiefly in
skin testing for allergic reactions
• Subcutaneous (hypodermic) injection (subQ) - small hypodermic needle is introduced into the
subcutaneous tissue under the skin
• Intramuscular injection (IM) - buttock or upper arm is the usual site for this injection into muscle
• lntrathecal instillation - instillation is into the space under the membranes (meninges) surrounding the
spinal cord and brain
• Intravenous injection (IV) - this injection is given directly into a vein
• Inhalation
2
