Adverse Drug event

Any undesirable occurance related to administering or failing to administer a prescribed medication

Drug

Any chemical that effects the physiological processes of a living organism.

Adverse drug reaction

Any unexpected, unintended, undesired, or excessive response to a medication given at therapeutic dosages (as exposed to overdose)

Additive Effects

Drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs with similar actions is equivalant to the sum of the individual effects of the same drugs given alone.

1 + 1 = 2

Agonist

a drug that binds to and stimulates the activity of one or more receptors in the body

Allergic reaction

an immunologic hypersensitivity reaction resulting from the unusually sensitivity of a patient to a particular medication; a type of adverse drug event

Antagonist

A drug that binds to and inhibits the activity of one or more receptors in the body; also called an inhibitor

Antagonist effects:

drug interactions in which the effect of a combination of two or more drugs is less than the sum of individual effects of the same drugs given alone. Usually caused by a blocking or reducing effect of one drug on another

Bioavailability:

A measure of the extent of drug absorption for a given drug and route

Biotransformation:

one or more biochemical reactions involving a parent drug: occurs mainly in the liver and produces a metabolite that is either inactive or active

Blood-brain barrier:

the barrier system that restricts the passage of various chemicals and microscopic entities between the blood stream and the central nervous system. Allows passage of the essential substances such as oxygen

Chemical name

The name that describes the chemical composition and molecular structure of a drug

Contraindication:

Any condition; especially one related to a disease stare or other patient characteristic, including current or recent drug therapy that renders a particular form of treatment improper or undesirable

Cytrochrome P-450

The general name for a large class of enzymes that play a significant role in drug metabolism.

Dependence:

a state in which there is a compulsive or chronic need for a drug

Dissolution:

The process by which solid forms of  drugs disintegrate  into the gastrointestinal tract and become soluble before being absorbed into the circulation

Drug actions:

the cellular processes involved in the interaction between a drug and body cells; also called mechanism of action

Drug Effects

The physiological reactions of the body to a drug. They can be therapeutic or toxic and decide how the function of the body is affected as a whole by the drug. The terms onset, peak and duration are used to describe drug effects.

Drug induced teratogenisis:

the development of congenital anomalies or defects in the developing fetus caused by the toxic effects of drugs

Drug interaction:

Alteration in the pharmacologic activity of a given drug caused by the presence of one or more additional drugs; it is usually related to the effects on the enzymes required for metabolism of the involved drugs

Duration of action:

the length of time the concentration of a drug in the blood or tissues is sufficient to elicit a response

Enzymes:

Protein molecules that catalyze one or more of a variety of biochemical reactions, including those related to the body’s own physiologic processes as well as those related to drug metabolism

First-pass effect:

The initial metabolism in the liver of a drug absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract before the drug reaches systemic circulation through the bloodstream

Generic name:

the name given to a drug by the United States Adopted Names Council. Also called the nonproprietary name. the generic name is much shorter and simpler than the chemical name and is not protected by trademark

Half-life:

In pharmokinetics, the time required for half of an administered dose of a drug to be eliminated from the body, or the time it takes for the blood level of a drug to be reduced by 50%

Idiosyncratic reaction:

An abnormal and unexpected response to a medication, other than an allergic reaction, that is peculiar to and individual patient

Incompatibility:

the characteristic that causes two parenteral drugs or solutions to undergo a reaction when mixed or given together that results in the chemical deterioration of at least one of

Intraarticular:

Within a joint

Intrathecal

within a seath

Medication error:

any preventable adverse drug  event involving inappropriate medication use by a patient or healthcare professional; may or may not cause patient harm

Medication use processes:

the prescribing, dispensing and administering of medications, and the monitoring of their effects

Metabolites:

a chemical form of a drug that is the product of one or more biochemical (metabolic) reactions involving the parent drug. Active metabolites are those that have pharmacologic activity of their own, even if the parent drug is inactive. Inactive metabolites lack pharmacological activity and are simply drug waste products awaiting excretion from the body

Onset of action:

the time required for a drug to elicit a therapeutic response after dosing

Parent drug:

the chemical form of a drug that is administered before it is metabolized by the body’s biochemical reactions into is active or inactive metabolites. A parent drug that is not pharmacologically active itself is called a prodrug. A prodrug is then metabolized to pharmacologically active metabolites

Peak effect:

the time required for a drug to reach its maximum therapeutic responses in the body

Peak level:

the maximum concentration of a drug in the body after administration, usually measured in a blood sample for therapeutic drug monitoring

Pharmaceutics:

the science of preparing and dispensing drugs, including dosage from design

Pharmacodynamics:

Pharmagogenetics:

the study of the influence of genetic factors on drug responses, including the nature of genetic aberrations that result in the absence, overabundance, or insufficiency of drug-metabolizing enzymes

Pharmacognosy:

the study of drugs that are obtained from natural plant and animal sources

Pharmacokinetics:

the rate of drug distribution among various body compartments after a drug has entered the body. It includes the phases of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs

Pharmacology:

the broadest term for the study or the science of drugs

Pharmacotherapeutics:

the treatment of pathologic conditions through the use of drugs

Prodrug:

an inactive drug dosage form that is converted to an active metabolite by various biochemical reactions once its inside the body

Receptor:

A molecular structure within or on the outer surface of a cell. Receptors bind specific substances and one or more corresponding cellular effects occurs as a result of this drug-receptor interaction

Steady state:

the physiologic state in which the amount of drug removed via elimination is equal to the amount of drug absorbed with each dose

Substrates:

substances on which enzymes act

Synergistic effects:

Therapeutic drug monitoring

the process of measuring drug peak and trough levels to gauge the level of a patient’s drug exposure and allow adjustment of dosages with the goals of maximizing therapeutic effects and minimizing toxicity

Therapeutic effect:

the desired or intended effect of a particular medication

Therapeutic index:

the ratio between the toxic and therapeutic concentrations of a drug

Tolerance:

reduced response to a drug after prolonged use

Toxic:

the quality of being poisonous

Toxicity:

the condition of producing adverse bodily effects due to poisonous qualities

Toxicology:

the study of poisons, including toxic drug effects, and applicable treatments

Trade name:

the commercial name given to a drug product by its manufacture; also called the proprietary name

Trough level: