| A | B |
|---|
| absorption | process that occurs form the time a drug eneters the body to the time it the bloodstream to be circulated |
| agonist | drug that produces effects similar to those produced by naturally occurring hormones, neurotransmitters, and other substances |
| antagonist | drug that inhibits cell function by occupying receptor sites |
| antidote | that relieves, prevents, or counteracts the effect of a poison |
| bioavailabilty | portion of drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation and is available to act on body cells |
| biotransformation | when drugs are altered from their original form inot a new form by the body; aka metabolism |
| distribution | transport of drug molecules w/i the body; after a drug is injected or absorbed into the bloodstream, its carried by the blood and tissue fluids to its sites of action, metabolism, and excretion |
| enterohepatic recirculation | drugs or metabolites that are excreted in bile, reabsorbed from the small intestine, returned to the liver, metabolized, and eventually excreted in urine |
| enzyme induction | production of larger amounts of drug-metabolizing ensymes by liver cells; process accelerates drug metabolism because larger amounts of the enzymes (and more binding stes) allow larger amounts of a drug to be metabolized during a given time |
| enzyme inhibition | process when a molecule binds to enzymes and inhibits their activity |
| excretion | elimination of a drug from the body; effective excretion requires adequate functioning of the circulatory system and of the organs of excretion; ie kidneys, bowels, lungs, and skin |
| first-pass effect | initial metabolism of some oral drugs as they are carried from the intestine to the liver by the portal circulatory system prior to reaching the systemic circulation for distribution to site of action |
| hypersenstivity | immune-mediated reaction to a drug |
| loading dose | dose larger than the regular prescribed daily dosage fo a medication; used to attain a therapeutic blood level |
| maintenance dose | quantity of drug that is needed to keep blood levels and/or tissue levels at a steady state or constant level |
| nephrotoxicity | toxic or damaging effect of a substance on the kidney; potentially serious because renal damage interferes w/ drug excretion, causing drug accumulation and increased adverse effects |
| pharmacodynamics | reactions between living systems adn drugs; drug actions on target cells and the resulting alteraqtions in cellular biochemical reactions and functions |
| pharmacokinetics | drug movement through the body to reach sites of action, metabolism, and excretion |
| prodrugs | initially inactive drugs that exert no pharmacologic effects until they are metabolized |
| serum drug level | lab measurement of the amount of a drulaug in the blood at a particular time |
| serum half-life | time required for the serum concentration of a drug to decrease by 50%; aka elimination half-life |
