| A | B |
|---|
| Absorption | The movement of drug particles from the GI tract to body fluids. |
| Active Absorption | Requires a carrier, an enzyme or protein to move the drug against a concentration gradient. |
| Adverse Reactions | More severe than side effects, always undesirable. |
| Agonists | Drug that triggers a response by binding to specific cell receptors. |
| Antagonists | Drugs that block a response. |
| Bioavailability | (Subcategory of absorption) the percentage of a drug that reaches systemic circulation. |
| Disintegration | The breakdown of a tablet into smaller particles. |
| Dissolution | The dissolving of smaller particles in the GI fluid prior to absorption. |
| Distribution | Process by which the drug becomes available to body fluids and body tissue. |
| Duration of Action | The length of time the drug has a pharmacologic effect. |
| First-Pass Effect | The process in which a drug passes to the liver first. |
| Half-Life | The time it takes for one-half of the drug concentration to be eliminated; a drug goes through several half-lives before 90% of the drug is eliminated. |
| Loading Dose | Large initial dose given to achieve a rapid minimum effective concentration in the plasma. |
| Onset | The time it takes to reach the minimum effective concentration (MEC) after a drug is administered. |
| Passive Absorption | Occurs mostly by diffusion. |
| Peak Action | The point at which a drug reaches its highest blood or plasma concentration. |
| Peak Drug Level | The highest plasma concentration of a drug at a specific time. |
| Pharmaceutics | The first phase of drug action. |
| Pharmacodynamics | The study of drug concentration and its effects on the body. |
| Pharmacogenetics | The effect of a drug action that varies from a predicted drug response because of genetic factors or hereditary influence. |
| Pharmacokinetic | The process of drug movement to achieve drug action, absorption, distribution, metabolism/biotransformation and excretion. |
| Pinocytosis | Process by which cells carry a drug across the cell membrane by engulfing the particles. |
| Protein-Binding Effect | The portion of a drug that is bound is inactive because it is not available to the receptors. |
| Side Effects | Physiologic effects not related to desired drug effects. |
| Therapeutic Range | Drug concentration in plasma should be between the minimum effective concentration in the plasma and the minimum toxic concentration. |
| Trough Level | The lowest plasma concentration of a drug. The level measures the rate at which a drug is eliminated; levels are drawn immediately before the next dose of a drug is given. |
