Frequently asked Principles of Pharmacology – ATI questions and answers

What is the main purpose of pharmacology ️️ Study of drugs and their effects on the body Which term describes how the body absorbs a drug ️️ Pharmacokinetics Which process moves a drug from the bloodstream into tissues ️️ Distribution What is the breakdown of drugs in the body called ️️ Metabolism Which organ is primarily responsible for drug metabolism ️️ Liver What is the removal of drugs from the body called ️️ Excretion Which organ plays the biggest role in drug excretion ️️ Kidneys What term describes the study of what drugs do to the body ️️ Pharmacodynamics What is the minimum concentration of a drug that produces a therapeutic effect ️️ Minimum effective concentration What is the level at which a drug becomes toxic ️️ Toxic level What is the therapeutic range ️️ Range between effective and toxic drug levels What does half-life refer to ️️ Time taken for half the drug to be eliminated 2 Which route of administration is the fastest ️️ Intravenous What route involves placing a drug under the tongue ️️ Sublingual What is bioavailability ️️ Amount of drug that reaches systemic circulation What is a side effect ️️ Unintended mild drug effect What is an adverse effect ️️ Harmful or severe drug reaction What is a drug allergy ️️ Immune response to a medication What is tolerance ️️ Reduced response to a drug over time What is dependence ️️ Physical or psychological need for a drug What is a placebo ️️ Inactive substance used for comparison What is a receptor ️️ Site where drugs bind to produce effects What is an agonist ️️ Drug that activates a receptor What is an antagonist ️️ Drug that blocks a receptor What is peak level ️️ Highest concentration of a drug in the blood What is trough level ️️ Lowest concentration before next dose What is loading dose ️️ Initial high dose to reach therapeutic level quickly 3 What is maintenance dose ️️ Dose that maintains therapeutic level What is first-pass effect ️️ Drug metabolism in the liver before reaching circulation What is a contraindication ️️ Situation where a drug should not be used What is a drug interaction ️️ When one drug affects another What is potentiation ️️ Increased effect when two drugs are combined What is synergism ️️ Combined effect greater than sum of individual effects What is an idiosyncratic reaction ️️ Unpredictable drug response What is compliance ️️ Following prescribed medication regimen What is noncompliance ️️ Failure to follow medication instructions What is a generic drug ️️ Drug with same active ingredient as brand What is a brand name drug ️️ Drug marketed under a company name What is drug efficacy ️️ Ability to produce desired effect What is drug potency ️️ Amount needed to produce effect What is absorption ️️ Movement of drug into bloodstream What is distribution influenced by ️️ Blood flow and protein binding 4 What is protein binding ️️ Drug attaching to plasma proteins What is free drug ️️ Unbound drug available for action What is metabolism phase I ️️ Drug modification via oxidation or reduction