Definition of Pharmacology and Introduction
About Definition of pharmacology
- It is the branch of science which is concerned with the pharmacokinetics (What the body does to the drug) and pharmacodynamics (Effect of drugs on living organisms).
- Composition of Drugs, Its properties, interaction, toxicology, therapy and medial uses are studied in this subject.
- As said earlier this subject is divided into two sub categories (1) Pharmacodynamics and (2) Pharmacokinetics
- Pharmacodynamics is a subject which deals with the chemical interaction with body/cell receptors.
- In Pharmacokinetics four stages passing through are studied (1) Absorption, (2) Distribution, (3) Metabolism and (4) Excretion
- It is the unique combination of physiology, chemistry, biochemistry and medicine.
- Pharmacon is a greek word which means drug.
- It broadly defined the Hormones, Neurotransmitters, Growth factors, Toxic agents in the environment and pharmaceuticals.
Some of the major keyword which are used in this subject are as follows:
- Absorption
- Agonist
- Blood-brain Barrier
- DEA
- Distribution
- Drug metabolism
- Elimination
- Enantiomer
- FDA
- First pass effect
- Formulation
- Generic Drug
- Hydrophilic
- Hydrophobic
- Lipophilic
- OTC Drug
- Parenteral Administration
- Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacokinetics
- Pharmacologic Antagonist
- Proprietary Drug
- Racemic Mixture
- Receptor
- Scheduled of controlled Drugs
- Selectivity
- Teratogen
- Toxicology
Definition of similar terms:
- Absorption: It is the process of movement of drug into the systemic circulation of the body.
- Adverse Effects: Harmful effects in to the body.
- Affinity: Attractive force
- Agonist: A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a stimulatory response that is similar to what an endogenous substance (hormone) would have done if it were bound to the receptor.
- Anaphylactic shock: severe and sudden allergic reaction that may be life threatening.
- Antagonist: A drug or other substance that blocks or antagonize the effect of other drug or substance.
- Bioavailability: The extent to which the drug or substance taken by a specific tissue or organ after administration.
- Biotransformation: The process of conversion of drug.
- Distribution: The passage of drug from blood or lymph to other body sites.
- Dose-effect relationship: The relationship between the dose of a drug that produces therapeutic effects and the potency of effects on the person
- Excretion: The last stage of pharmacokinetics which removes drugs from the system.
- First-pass-effect: After the drug is in the liver it is partially metabilized before being sent to the body, where systemic effects occurs.
- Half-life: The time taken for the blood or plasma concentration of the drug to decrease from full 100% to 50%
- Hydrolysis: The cleaving of compound into simple compound with the uptake of hydrogen and the hydroxide parts of a water molecule.
- Idiocyntratic: Something pecular to an individual.
- Metabolism: The sum of chemical and physical changes in the tissue consisting of anabolism and catabolism.
- Overdose: A toxic dose of the drug that cause harm.
- Oxidation: Combination with oxygen.
- Pharmacodynamics: The biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and the mechanism of drug action.
- Pharmacognosy: The study of drug derived from the herbal and other natural resources.
- Pharmacokinetics: It is the study of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excreation of drugs.
- Pharmacotherapeutics: It is the study of how drug may be best use in the treatment and which drug is most or least appropriate to use for a specific disease.
- Presystemic metabolism: Occurs when enzyme in the Gastro Instestinal tract begin to break down the drug before it is absorbed.
- Receptor: A reaction with a substance that involves gaining of electrons.
- Side effects: Effects that are not necessary, undesirable.
- Therapeutic: Effect meant to treat disease or disorder.
- Tolerance: The development of resistance to the effects of a drug such that the drug's dose must be continually raised to elicit the desired response.
- Toxicity: The state of being noxious and refers to a drug's ability to poison the body.
- Toxicology: The study of poison and poisonings.
- Contraindication: A reaction that make it inadvisable to prescribe a particular drug.
- Synergism: It is the combined effect of two drugs.
- Potentiation: An interaction between two drugs that cause an effect greater than that which would have been expected.
- Cumulative effect: Poor metabolism or excretion of a drug leads to a build-up of the drug in the body.
- Poly pharmacy: The act of prescribing too many medicines.
- Opposition: Occurs when two drugs of opposing actions interact, reduce the effectiveness of two or both.
- Alteration: How the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes a drug.
- Uticaria: It is the vascular reaction of the skin characterized by a rash and severe itching.
- Prurites: Itching.
- Medicine: Drugs mixed in a formulation with other ingredients to improve the stability, taste, or physical form to allow appropriate administration of the active drug.
- ADR: Adverse Drug reaction.