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Week One Pharmacology Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

Explain what pharmacokinetics means and outline some of the processes involved Explain what pharmacodynamics means Identify targets for drug action Define an adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and understand the different classifications of ADR

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Introd­uction

 
Pharma­cod­ynamic Effect - Drugs (designed to have an effect on physio­logy), are given to manage symptoms and to treat disease. This change is usually in the form of stopping something from happening, or making something happen in the body.

Pharma­cok­inetics - The way in which the body handles or processes drugs.

Pharma­cod­ynamics - The effect that drugs have on the body, (Rober­tson, 2015.)
  

Pharma­cok­inetics - ADME

Absorp­tion, Distri­bution, Metabo­lism, Excretion
Drug molecules are absorbed into the bloods­tream. They are circulated (or distri­buted) to their target site within the body to create their pharma­cod­ynamic effect, then the body must break them down (or metabolise them) and excrete them from the body.

Example of ADME

Absorp­tion, Distri­bution, Metabo­lism, Excretion
Insulin is given by subcut­aneous injection and is absorbed into the bloods­tream.
It is distri­buted around the body by the bloods­tream and is given at a dose which will achieve the target plasma concen­tration and stimulate the drug's pharma­cod­ynamic effect (stop blood glucose from rising).
After it has done its job, the drug is then metabo­lised as it passes, in the bloods­tream, through the liver and the inacti­vated drug (or metabo­lites) will be carried to the kidneys and excreted in the urine.

ADME - Absorption

 
Absorption describes how a chemical enters the body. Absorption relates to the movement of a chemical from the admini­str­ation site to the bloods­tream.
There are four main routes of admini­str­ation: Ingestion through the digestive tract, Inhalation via the respir­atory system, Dermal applic­ation to the skin or eye, or Injection through direct admini­str­ation into the bloods­tream.

ADME - Distri­bution

 
Once a drug has been absorbed, it moves from the absorption site to tissues around the body. This distri­bution from one part of the body to another is typically accomp­lished via the bloods­tream, but it can also occur from cell-t­o-cell.

Factors such as blood flow, lipoph­ili­city, tissue binding, and molecular size influence distri­bution.