| A | B |
|---|
| pharmacology | study of drugs and their effects on the human body |
| drug | chemical agent used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease |
| pharmacokinetics | study of how drugs enter the body, reach their site of action, and are eventually eliminated |
| plant | atropine (used in the treatment of heart blocks and bradycardia) |
| animal | insulin (extracted from the pancreas of cattle; used to treat diabetes) |
| mineral | sodium bicarbonate (used to combat metabolic acidosis in the cardiac arrest patient) |
| synthetic | lidocaine (used to treat cardiac dysrhythmia |
| Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 | requires packages to list the ingredients on foods and medications |
| Harrison Narcotic Act | regulates the sale, importation, and manugacture of the opium plant and its derivatives |
| Controlled Substance Act | regulates addictive drugs and defines the five schedules of controlled substances |
| Schedule I | drugs that have a high potential for abuse and have no accepted medical indications; example: heroin |
| Schedule II | drugs that have a high potential for abuse, but also have accepted medical indications; examples: morphine and meperidine |
| Schedule III | drugs that have a reduced potential for abuse and accepcted medication indications; examples: acetaminophen with codeine |
| Schedule IV | drugs that have a low potential for abuse, but may cause a physical or psychological dependence; example: diazepam (Valium) |
| Schedule V | drugs that have a low potential for abuse, yet contain small quantities of narcotics; examples: several types of cough medications |
| AMA drug evaluations | provides drug information on groups of drugs, including their recommended dosages, side effects, indications, and contraindications |
| Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) | compilation of manufacturers' drug information on the most current drugs on the market; contains photographs showing the actual size, shape, and color of many drugs; published yearly |
| drug inserts | accompany most drugs and supply the manufacturer recommendatons for use and other data |
| solutions | preparation in which the drugs are dissolved in a solvent, usually water; example: normal saline |
| tinctures | drug preparations in which the drug was extracted chemically with teh use of alcohol; example: tincture of iodine |
| suspensions | drugs that do not dissolve in the solvent but are instead syspended in solution and will separate if not shaken frequently; example: amoxicillin |
| spirits | volatile chemicals dissolved in alcohol, example: spirits of ammonia |
| emulsions | mixtures of an oil substance and a solvent; do not dissolve well and must be shaken before administration |
| elixirs | preparation that contain a drug in alcohol with an added flavoring; example: Tylenol elixir |
| syrups | drugs mixed with sugar, water, and flavoring, example: cough syrup |
| pills | drugs shaped for easy swallowing; example: vitamins |
| powder | drugs in powder form, usually intened for mixing with another agent |
| capsules | gelatin containers filled with a drug powder; drug released as gelatin dissolves in the intestinal tract; example: dalmane |
| tablets | pressed powder shaped in an easy-to-swallow form; example: aspirin |
| suppositories | drugs mised with a base that dissolves at body temperature; placed rectually or vaginally and absorbed by surrounding tissues |
| parenteral drugs | medications introducted through routes other than the digestive system, such as intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous; the majority of EMS drugs |
| ampule | glass or plastic single-dose container that must be broken to obtain and use the drug |
| vial | single or multi dose container that is sealed with a rubber cap; drug obtained by withdrawing it with a needle and a syringe |
| prefilled syringe | single-dose preloaded administration devide; can be used rapidly and is common in EMS |
| antagonism | opposition between the actions of two or more drugs |
| bolus | single, often large, dose of medication |
| contraindications | medical or physiological reasons for not using a drug |
| cumulative action | result of administering several small doses and achieving an increasing effect, usually due to buildup of the drug in the blood |
| depressant | medication that decreases a bodily function or activity |
| habituation | psychological or physiological dependence of a drug |
| hypersensitivity | exaggerated reactivity to a drug or other foreign substance |
| idiosyncrasy | individual reaction to a drug that is very different from what is expected |
| indication | medical condition for which the drug has a proven therapeutic value |
| potentiation | enhancement of the effects on one drug by the administration of another |
| refractory | condition in which a drug fails to provide the therapeutic action desired for the patient |
| side effects | unavoidable and undersirable effects of a drug even in therapeutic doses |
| stimulant | drug that increases a bodily function or activity |
| synergism | combination of two drugs that together perform better than the sum of their isolated effects |
| therapeutic action | intended action of a drug |
| tolerance | reduction in the obtained effects of a dosage of a drug over time, thus requiring larger dosages to achieve the same effect |
| absorption | entrance of the drug into the cardiovascular system |
| distribution | movement of the drug to the site wherer it is to be used |
| biotransformation | conversion of the drug into its active form |
| elimination | whithdrawal of the drug from the cardiovascular system and the removal of the drug from the body |
| blood barrier | mechanism that isolates the brain tissue from the bloodstream and selectively allows a limited number of compounds into the brain |
| parenteral routes | intradermal, transdermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, endotracheal, intraocceus, inhalation, sublingual, intracardiac |
| enteral routes | sublingual, oral, rectal |
| factors that slow absorption | shock, acidosis, and peripheral vasconstriction dur to hypothermia |
| factors that enhance absorption | peripheral vasodilation, as caused by fever, hyperthermia, or other conditions that increase the blood supply at the injection site |
| metric system | system of measurement for mass, length, and volume; uses the decimal system (each unit is 10 times larger or 1/10 as large as the next); basic units include grams, meters, and liters. |
