Basic Pharmacology Principles
Pharmacology -
-the study of medicine
-study of how drugs improve the health of the human body
-good & bad consequences
Therapeutics -
-branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease and suffering
Pharmacotherapeutics -
-is the use of medicine to treat disease
Traditional Drug Therapies -
-Chemically produced in a laboratory
-Routinely used by healthcare providers
Biologics -
-Naturally produced by the body itself, in animal cells, or in microorganisms
-Include hormones and vaccines
-Routinely used by healthcare providers
Natural Alternative Therapies -
-Naturally produced
-Include herbs, extracts, vitamins, minerals, or dietary supplements
-Sometimes used depending on healthcare provider
Prescription medications -
-to obtain, patients must get a physician's order authorizing them to receive the drugs
Over the counter (OTC) medications -
-do not require an order from a healthcare practitioner
Formularies -
-The first standards used by pharmacists
-List of drugs and drug recipes
U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) -
-First comprehensive publication of drug standards
-Drug substances and products
National Formulary (NF) -
-Maintained drug standards in the U.S.
-Focus on preparing drugs and how drugs are dispensed
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act -
-First law preventing the marketing of drugs that had not been tested prior to
marketing
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, FDA -
-Any pharmaceutical laboratory must have FDA approval before marketing a drug
-Requires that a drug be withdrawn from the market and its use discontinued if a problem is
found
FDA stages of approval -
-preclinical investigation
-clinical investigation
-submission of a new drug application with review
-postmarketing studies
Therapeutic (classes of medications) -
-usefulness of a drug, how it works clinically
-examples: influencing blood pressure/ treating abnormal heartbeat
Pharmacologic (classes of medications) -
-how the drug works pharmacologically
-mechanism of action - how it produces an effect on the body
-examples: beta blocker; calcium channel blocker
Prototype Drugs -
-Drug model from which other medications in a pharmacologic class have been
developed
-You can then predict the actions and adverse effects within that class
Chemical Name -
-a drug has only one ___ __, which is sometimes helpful in predicting its physical
and chemical properties (2-acetoxybenzoic acid)
Generic Names -
-less complicated and easier to remember than chemical names
Trade name -
-assigned by the company marketing the drug, brand name, product name, capitalized
Bioavailability -
-physiologic ability of the drug to reach its target cells and produce its effect
-some medications need to be dispensed exactly as written and not substituted (i.e. Synthroid
& Levothyroxine)
Drug Schedule I -
-highest abuse potential, highest physical dependence, highest psychological
dependence
Drug Schedule V -
-lowest abuse potential, lowest physical dependence, lowest psychological
dependence
Safety in Pregnancy
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Pharmacology -
-the study of medicine
-study of how drugs improve the health of the human body
-good & bad consequences
Therapeutics -
-branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease and suffering
Pharmacotherapeutics -
-is the use of medicine to treat disease
Traditional Drug Therapies -
-Chemically produced in a laboratory
-Routinely used by healthcare providers
Biologics -
-Naturally produced by the body itself, in animal cells, or in microorganisms
-Include hormones and vaccines
-Routinely used by healthcare providers
Natural Alternative Therapies -
-Naturally produced
-Include herbs, extracts, vitamins, minerals, or dietary supplements
-Sometimes used depending on healthcare provider
Prescription medications -
-to obtain, patients must get a physician's order authorizing them to receive the drugs
Over the counter (OTC) medications -
-do not require an order from a healthcare practitioner
Formularies -
-The first standards used by pharmacists
-List of drugs and drug recipes
U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) -
-First comprehensive publication of drug standards
-Drug substances and products
National Formulary (NF) -
-Maintained drug standards in the U.S.
-Focus on preparing drugs and how drugs are dispensed
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act -
-First law preventing the marketing of drugs that had not been tested prior to
marketing
1|Page
, FDA -
-Any pharmaceutical laboratory must have FDA approval before marketing a drug
-Requires that a drug be withdrawn from the market and its use discontinued if a problem is
found
FDA stages of approval -
-preclinical investigation
-clinical investigation
-submission of a new drug application with review
-postmarketing studies
Therapeutic (classes of medications) -
-usefulness of a drug, how it works clinically
-examples: influencing blood pressure/ treating abnormal heartbeat
Pharmacologic (classes of medications) -
-how the drug works pharmacologically
-mechanism of action - how it produces an effect on the body
-examples: beta blocker; calcium channel blocker
Prototype Drugs -
-Drug model from which other medications in a pharmacologic class have been
developed
-You can then predict the actions and adverse effects within that class
Chemical Name -
-a drug has only one ___ __, which is sometimes helpful in predicting its physical
and chemical properties (2-acetoxybenzoic acid)
Generic Names -
-less complicated and easier to remember than chemical names
Trade name -
-assigned by the company marketing the drug, brand name, product name, capitalized
Bioavailability -
-physiologic ability of the drug to reach its target cells and produce its effect
-some medications need to be dispensed exactly as written and not substituted (i.e. Synthroid
& Levothyroxine)
Drug Schedule I -
-highest abuse potential, highest physical dependence, highest psychological
dependence
Drug Schedule V -
-lowest abuse potential, lowest physical dependence, lowest psychological
dependence
Safety in Pregnancy
2|Page
