PharmacologyLesson 1 of 3 in the course Drug Administration

Drug Disposition, Drug Action, and Factors Shaping Medication Response

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, then focuses on how medications are absorbed and become available to act in the body. Understanding these concepts helps nurses anticipate when a medication may begin working and how the route of administration affects its effect.

Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to a drug: how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. These four processes are often abbreviated as ADME. Pharmacokinetic knowledge helps explain drug actions, dosing schedules, interactions, and precautions.

All flashcards

What is ADME?
The pharmacokinetic processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
What is bioavailability?
The fraction of an administered active drug that reaches systemic circulation unchanged.
What is a drug’s half-life?
The time required for the amount or concentration of a drug in the body to decrease by half.
What is a partial agonist?
A drug that binds to and activates a receptor, but less than a full agonist.
What is an adverse drug reaction?
An unwanted secondary effect at a therapeutic dose that can cause harm or injury.

Quiz questions

  1. What does pharmacokinetics describe?Answer: How the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes a drug.
  2. Which drug fraction can generally cross membranes, enter tissues, and interact with receptors?Answer: The free, unbound fraction.
  3. What is the effect of first-pass metabolism on many oral drugs?Answer: It can metabolize some drug before it reaches systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability.
  4. A drug has a four-hour half-life. If 500 mg is present initially, about how much remains after eight hours?Answer: 125 mg
  5. How does a receptor antagonist act?Answer: It binds to a receptor without activating it and blocks an agonist.

Based on Pharmacology for Nurses by Tina Barbour-Taylor, Leah Mueller (Sabato), Donna Paris, Dorie Weaver (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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