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Introduction to pharmacology
Definition:
Pharmacology is the science that deals with the study of drugs and their intention with living systems
The word pharmacology is derived from Greek “Pharmacon” means drug and “logos” means study.
Drug:
Pharmacokinetics:
Pharmacokinetics is the study of the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs, i.e
what the body does the drug (in Greek kinesis = movement).
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacodynamics is the study of the effect of the drugs on the body and their mechanism of action, i.e
what the drug does the body
Therapeutics:
Therapeutics deals with the use if drugs un the prevention and treatment of disease
Toxicology:
Deals with the adverse effects of the drug and also the study of poisons, i.e detection, prevention, and
treatment of poisoning. (Toxicon = poison in Greek)
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals for the treatment of infections. The term now also includes the
use of chemical to treat malignancies.
Pharmacy:
Pharmacy is the science of identification, compounding and dispensing of drugs. It also includes
collection, isolation purification, synthesis and standardization of medical substances.
The nurse’s role as the caretaker puts the nurse in the position as being closest to the patient and best
able to assess both the patient’s condition prior to use of medication as well as the patient’s response to
the medication – two key components of appropriate medical therapy.
Drug Classifications
Drugs are classified by how they affect certain body systems, such as bronchodilators’ uses for
respiratory conditions; by their therapeutic use, such as anti-nausea; or based on their chemical
characteristics, such as beta blockers
Many may fit into more than one drug classification due to the various effects that they exert in the
body. Because certain drugs in the same class have many features in common, categorizing them in
these ways helps nurses become familiar with many of the drugs they are administering. For example,
there are many types of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, but they have many common side
effects
Sources of Drugs
Natural sources:
Synthetic sources:
Most drugs are now synthesized e.g. quinolones, omeprazole, sulfonamides, pancruronium,
neostigmine
Many drugs are obtained from cell culture e.g. urokinase from cultured kidney cells
Some are now produced by recombinant DNA technology e.g. human insulin, tissue plasmogen
activator and some drugs by Hybridoma technique e.g. monoclonal antibodies.
Drug names
Nurses must know both the trade name of a drug, which is assigned by the pharmaceutical
company that manufactures the drug, and the generic name, which is the official drug name and
is not protected by trademark
Manufacturers may receive a patent on a new drug, which means that no other companies can
produce the drug until the patent expires. Once this patent has expired, other companies may
manufacture the drug with a different trade name but equivalent chemical makeup. Some
companies choose to use the generic name only.
The generic name of a drug is the original designation that the drug was given when the drug
company applied for the approval process
Generic drugs are chemicals that are produced by companies involved solely in the
manufacturing of drugs
Chemical names are names that reflect the chemical structure of drugs
Orphan drugs are drugs that have been discovered but are not frequently viable and therefore
have not been “adopted” by any drug company. Orphan drugs may be useful in treating a rare
disease, or that may have potentially dangerous side effects. Orphan drugs are often abandoned
after preclinical trials or phase I studies
Over the counter drugs are products that are available without prescription for self-treatment
of a variety of complaints
Some of these agents were approved as prescription drugs but later were found to be very safe
and useful for patients without the of a prescription
Many of these drugs were “grandfathered” into use because they had been used for so long
Although OTC drugs have been found to be safe when taken as directed, nurses should consider
several problems related to OTC drug use:
Taking these drugs could mask the signs and symptoms of underlying disease, making diagnosis
difficult.
Taking these drugs with prescription medications could result in drug interactions and interfere
with drug therapy.
Not taking these drugs as directed could result in serious overdoses.
1. Drug labels
a. Drug labels have specific information that identifies a specific drug
2. Package inserts
a. All drugs come with package insert prepared by the manufacturer according to strict
FDA regulations. The package insert contains all of the chemical and study information
that led to the drug’s approval
3. Reference books
a. A wide variety of reference books are available for drug information. The physician’s
desk reference (PDR) is a compilation of the package insert information from drugs in
this country, along with some drug advertising
4. Journals
a. Various journals can be used to obtain drug information
5. Internet information
a. Many patients now use the internet as a source of medical information and advice
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacodynamics is the study of actions of the drugs on the body and their mechanism of
action, to know what drugs do and how they do it
Drugs produce their effects by interacting with the physiological system of the organisms. By
such interaction drugs can only modify the rate of function of various systems.
Drugs may increase or decrease the secretion. But they cannot change the basic function of any
physiological system
Drug usually works in one or four ways:
o To replace or act as substitutes for missing chemicals
o To increase or stimulate certain activities
o To depress or slow cellular activities
o To interfere with functioning of foreign cells, such as invading microorganism or
neoplasms (drugs that act in this way are called chemotherapeutic agents
Vaccines and sera act by improving our immunity while immunosuppressant act by depressing
immunity, glucocorticoids