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8 (NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
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(NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
Terms in
3/30/2026, this set
5:30:11 PM (103) 3/30/2026, 5:30:09 PM
Pharmacodynamics
How the drug effects the body
-therapeutic vs. side effects
• Is it stimulating?
• Is it depressing?
• Does it block something?
-Onset of action
• Route, Dosage
-Duration of action
• Redistribution rate, metabolism rate and excretion rate
-Mechanism of action
• Drugs simply speed up or slow down what is already occurring in the
body
-Efficacy
• (Intrinsic activity) After binding, the drugs capacity to cause an effect
-Potency
• The amount of a drug needed to produce a given effect
, efficacy examples
-Agonist (Efficacy = 100)
-Partial Agonist (Efficacy = > 0 < 100)
-Antagonist (Efficacy = 0.0)
-Inverse Agonist (Efficacy = < 0)
Agonist:
Compounds which give maximal response after receptor occupation and
activation.
-Example: Oxycodone
Partial Agonists:
Compounds which activate the receptor but not at the maximal response.
-Example Buprenorphine (Suboxone) or Buspirone
(NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
Antagonist:
Blocks the action of an agonist.
-Example: Neuroleptics, Naloxone
Inverse Agonist:
3/30/2026, 5:30:11 PM 3/30/2026, 5:30:09 PM
Binds to receptor and has the opposite action of an agonist and below
baselinesignal transduction
Pharmacokinetics
How the body effects the drug
-Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME)
-Metabolizing the drug via CYP450 through the gut & liver
Bioavailability
Absorption: Drugs cross a barrier.
-Involves bioavailability or Quantity of drug reaching circulation/quantityof
the drug administered.
• Our own barriers such as skin and mucous membranes as well as food,
molecular weight, chemical, biological barriers, etc. reduce how much
drug is actually absorbed and available. IV route has 100%
bioavailability. All other routes <100%
N
R
6
6
8 (NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
W
e
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k
4
3/30/2026, 5:30:11 PM 3/30/2026, 5:30:09 PM
P
s
y
c
h
o
p
h
a
r
m
a
,c
ol
o
g
y
Students
also
studied
(NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
Terms in
3/30/2026, this set
5:30:11 PM (103) 3/30/2026, 5:30:09 PM
Pharmacodynamics
How the drug effects the body
-therapeutic vs. side effects
• Is it stimulating?
• Is it depressing?
• Does it block something?
-Onset of action
• Route, Dosage
-Duration of action
• Redistribution rate, metabolism rate and excretion rate
-Mechanism of action
• Drugs simply speed up or slow down what is already occurring in the
body
-Efficacy
• (Intrinsic activity) After binding, the drugs capacity to cause an effect
-Potency
• The amount of a drug needed to produce a given effect
, efficacy examples
-Agonist (Efficacy = 100)
-Partial Agonist (Efficacy = > 0 < 100)
-Antagonist (Efficacy = 0.0)
-Inverse Agonist (Efficacy = < 0)
Agonist:
Compounds which give maximal response after receptor occupation and
activation.
-Example: Oxycodone
Partial Agonists:
Compounds which activate the receptor but not at the maximal response.
-Example Buprenorphine (Suboxone) or Buspirone
(NR668 Week 4 Psychopharmacology (2026 Edition)
Antagonist:
Blocks the action of an agonist.
-Example: Neuroleptics, Naloxone
Inverse Agonist:
3/30/2026, 5:30:11 PM 3/30/2026, 5:30:09 PM
Binds to receptor and has the opposite action of an agonist and below
baselinesignal transduction
Pharmacokinetics
How the body effects the drug
-Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME)
-Metabolizing the drug via CYP450 through the gut & liver
Bioavailability
Absorption: Drugs cross a barrier.
-Involves bioavailability or Quantity of drug reaching circulation/quantityof
the drug administered.
• Our own barriers such as skin and mucous membranes as well as food,
molecular weight, chemical, biological barriers, etc. reduce how much
drug is actually absorbed and available. IV route has 100%
bioavailability. All other routes <100%
