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Pharmacology 1 - Straighterline Questions and
Verified Answers
adverse effect
Ans: general term for undesirable and potentially harmful drug effect.
agonist
Ans: drug that binds to a receptor and activates a physiologic response or
drug action.
antagonist
Ans: drug that binds to a receptor and interferes with other drugs or
substances from producing a drug effect.
chemical name
Ans: name that defines the chemical composition of a drug.
contraindications
Ans: situations or conditions when a certain drug should not be
administered.
controlled substance
Ans: drug that has the potential for abuse and thus is regulated by law.
dose
Ans: a measurement of the amount of drug that is administered.
drug
Ans: chemical substance that produces a change in body function.
drug indications
Ans: intended or indicated uses for any drug.
ED50
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Ans: effective dose 50, or dose that will produce an effect that is half of the
maximal response.
generic name
Ans: nonproprietary name of a drug.
LD50
Ans: lethal dose 50, or dose that will kill 50 percent of the laboratory
animals tested.
mechanism of action
Ans: explanation of how a drug produces its effects.
nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drug
Ans: drug that can be purchased without the services of a physician.
pharmacology
Ans: study of drugs.
potency
Ans: measure of the strength, or concentration, of a drug required to
produce a specific effect.
prescription drug
Ans: drug for which dispensing requires a written or phone order that can
only be issued by or under the direction of a licensed physician.
receptor
Ans: specific cellular structure that a drug binds to in order to produce a
physiologic effect.
side effect
Ans: drug effect other than the therapeutic effect that is usually
undesirable but not harmful.
site of action
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Ans: location within the body where a drug exerts its therapeutic effect,
often a specific drug receptor.
therapeutic effect
Ans: desired drug effect to alleviate some condition or symptom of disease.
therapeutic index (TI)
Ans: ratio of the LD50 to the ED50 in animal studies.
toxic effect
Ans: undesirable drug effect that implies drug poisoning; can be very
harmful or life-threatening.
trade name
Ans: patented proprietary name of a drug sold by a specific drug
manufacturer; also referred to as the brand name.
bioavailability
Ans: percentage of the drug dosage that is absorbed.
drug absorption
Ans: entrance of a drug into the bloodstream from its site of administration.
drug addiction
Ans: condition of drug abuse and drug dependence that is characterized by
compulsive drug behavior.
drug dependence
Ans: condition of reliance on the use of a particular drug, characterized as
physical and/or psychological dependence.
drug distribution
Ans: passage of a drug from the blood to the tissues and organs of the body.
drug excretion
Ans: elimination of the drug from the body.
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drug metabolism
Ans: the enzymatic biotransformation of a drug into metabolites.
drug microsomal metabolizing system (DMMS)
Ans: group of enzymes located primarily in the liver that function to
metabolize (biotransformation) drugs.
drug tolerance
Ans: decreased drug effect occurring after repeated drug administration.
enzyme induction
Ans: increase in the amount of drug-metabolizing enzymes after repeated
administration of certain drugs.
enzyme inhibition
Ans: inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes by certain drugs.
first-pass metabolism
Ans: drug metabolism that occurs in the intestines and liver during oral
absorption of drugs into the systemic circulation.
half-life
Ans: time required for the body to reduce the amount of drug in the plasma
by one-half.
individual variation
Ans: difference in the effects of drugs and drug dosages from one person to
another.
intramuscular (IM) injection
Ans: route of drug administration; drug is injected into gluteal or deltoid
muscles.
intravenous (IV) injection
Ans: route of drug administration; drug is injected directly into a vein.
loading dose
Pharmacology 1 - Straighterline Questions and
Verified Answers
adverse effect
Ans: general term for undesirable and potentially harmful drug effect.
agonist
Ans: drug that binds to a receptor and activates a physiologic response or
drug action.
antagonist
Ans: drug that binds to a receptor and interferes with other drugs or
substances from producing a drug effect.
chemical name
Ans: name that defines the chemical composition of a drug.
contraindications
Ans: situations or conditions when a certain drug should not be
administered.
controlled substance
Ans: drug that has the potential for abuse and thus is regulated by law.
dose
Ans: a measurement of the amount of drug that is administered.
drug
Ans: chemical substance that produces a change in body function.
drug indications
Ans: intended or indicated uses for any drug.
ED50
, Page | 2
Ans: effective dose 50, or dose that will produce an effect that is half of the
maximal response.
generic name
Ans: nonproprietary name of a drug.
LD50
Ans: lethal dose 50, or dose that will kill 50 percent of the laboratory
animals tested.
mechanism of action
Ans: explanation of how a drug produces its effects.
nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drug
Ans: drug that can be purchased without the services of a physician.
pharmacology
Ans: study of drugs.
potency
Ans: measure of the strength, or concentration, of a drug required to
produce a specific effect.
prescription drug
Ans: drug for which dispensing requires a written or phone order that can
only be issued by or under the direction of a licensed physician.
receptor
Ans: specific cellular structure that a drug binds to in order to produce a
physiologic effect.
side effect
Ans: drug effect other than the therapeutic effect that is usually
undesirable but not harmful.
site of action
, Page | 3
Ans: location within the body where a drug exerts its therapeutic effect,
often a specific drug receptor.
therapeutic effect
Ans: desired drug effect to alleviate some condition or symptom of disease.
therapeutic index (TI)
Ans: ratio of the LD50 to the ED50 in animal studies.
toxic effect
Ans: undesirable drug effect that implies drug poisoning; can be very
harmful or life-threatening.
trade name
Ans: patented proprietary name of a drug sold by a specific drug
manufacturer; also referred to as the brand name.
bioavailability
Ans: percentage of the drug dosage that is absorbed.
drug absorption
Ans: entrance of a drug into the bloodstream from its site of administration.
drug addiction
Ans: condition of drug abuse and drug dependence that is characterized by
compulsive drug behavior.
drug dependence
Ans: condition of reliance on the use of a particular drug, characterized as
physical and/or psychological dependence.
drug distribution
Ans: passage of a drug from the blood to the tissues and organs of the body.
drug excretion
Ans: elimination of the drug from the body.
, Page | 4
drug metabolism
Ans: the enzymatic biotransformation of a drug into metabolites.
drug microsomal metabolizing system (DMMS)
Ans: group of enzymes located primarily in the liver that function to
metabolize (biotransformation) drugs.
drug tolerance
Ans: decreased drug effect occurring after repeated drug administration.
enzyme induction
Ans: increase in the amount of drug-metabolizing enzymes after repeated
administration of certain drugs.
enzyme inhibition
Ans: inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes by certain drugs.
first-pass metabolism
Ans: drug metabolism that occurs in the intestines and liver during oral
absorption of drugs into the systemic circulation.
half-life
Ans: time required for the body to reduce the amount of drug in the plasma
by one-half.
individual variation
Ans: difference in the effects of drugs and drug dosages from one person to
another.
intramuscular (IM) injection
Ans: route of drug administration; drug is injected into gluteal or deltoid
muscles.
intravenous (IV) injection
Ans: route of drug administration; drug is injected directly into a vein.
loading dose
