Penn Foster Pharmacology
Adverse drug event - ANS-harm to a patient caused by a therapeutic or preventive
intervention. It could be due to a medication error or adverse drug reaction
Adverse drug reaction - ANS-an undesirable response to a drug by a patient. It may
vary in severity from mild to fatal
Agonist - ANS-a drug that brings about a specific action by binding with the appropriate
receptor
antagonist - ANS-a drug that inhibits a specific action by binding with a particular
receptor
compounding - ANS-any medication preformed to produce a dosage-form drug, other
than the manipulation described in the directions for use on the labeling of an approved
drug product
drug - ANS-a substance used to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease
efficacy - ANS-the extent to which a drug causes the intended effects in a patient
extralabel use - ANS-the use of a drug that is not specifically listed on the US Food and
Drug Administration approved label
half-life - ANS-the amount of time that it takes for the quantity of a drug in the body to be
reduced by 50%
manufacturing - ANS-the bulk production of drugs for resale outside of the
veterinarian-client-patient relationship
metabolism - ANS-the biochemical process that alters a drug from an active form to a
form that is inactive or that can be eliminated from the body
parenteral - ANS-the route of administration of injectable drugs
partition coefficient - ANS-the ration of the solubility of substances between two states
in which they may be found
,prescription (legend) drug - ANS-a drug that is limited to use under the supervision of a
veterinarian because of potential danger, difficulty of administration, or other
considerations
regimen - ANS-a program for administration of a drug that includes the route, the dose,
the frequency, and the duration of administration
residue - ANS-an amount of a drug still present in animal tissue or products at a
particular point
veterinarian-client-patient relationship - ANS-the set of circumstances that must exist
between the veterinarian, the client, and the patient before the dispensing of
prescription drugs is appropriate
withdrawal time - ANS-the length of time it takes for a drug to be eliminated from animal
tissue or products after it is no longer used
indications - ANS-the reasons for using drugs
contraindications - ANS-reasons for not using drugs
pharmacokinetics - ANS-plasma or tissue levels of a drug are altered by the presence of
another
pharmacodynamics - ANS-the action or effect of one drug is altered by another
list common sources of drugs used in veterinary medicine - ANS-plants, materials,
animals, laboratories
diagnostic method - ANS-involves assessment of a patient, including a history, physical
examination, laboratory test, and other diagnostic procedures to arrive at a specific
diagnosis
empirical method - ANS-calls on the use of practical experience and common sense
when the drug choice is made
for veterinarian-client-patient relationship to occur conditions must be met - ANS-the vet
has assumed responsibility for making clinical judgments about the health of the animal
and the need for treatment, and the client has agreed to follow the vet's instructions; the
,vet has sufficient knowledge of the animal to issue a diagnosis, the vet must have seen
the animal recently; the vet must be available for follow up evaluation
technician important responsibilities in caring out written orders to administer drugs -
ANS-correct drug, correct route, correct time, observing animal's response to the drug,
questioning any medication orders that are not clear, creating and affixing labels to
medication containers accurately, expaining administration instructions to clients,
recording appropriate information in the record
over the counter drugs - ANS-drugs that do not have enough potential to be toxic or that
do not require administration in special ways that do not require the supervision of a vet
describe the events that occur after a drug is administered - ANS-it is available for
absorption into the bloodstream where the drug may bind with plasma protein or stay in
the free state. The blood then distributes it to the capillary level where the drug goes
into the interstitial fluid. the interstitial fluid coats the cell or binds with surface receptors.
The drug then exits the cell and moves back to the interstitial fluid where it reenters
circulation and is metabolized in the liver and sent to the kidneys to be excreted
List and describe the routes used for administration of drugs - ANS-intravenous (IV)- IV
produces most rapid onset accompanied by the shortest duration
Intramuscular (IM)- IM produces slower onset of action but longer duration of action
Subcutaneous (SC)- SQ produces slower onset of action but slightly longer duration
than IM
Intradermal (ID)- primarily for testing for tuberculosis and allergies
Intraperitoneal (IP) -> abdominal cavity; used to administer fluids, blood, and other
medications when normal routes are not available
Intaarterial (IA) -> artery; seldom used
Intraarticular -> joint; used primarily to treat inflammatory conditions of the joint
Intacardiac -> chest wall directly into chambers of heart- provides immediate access to
the bloodstream and ensures that the drug is delivered quickly to all tissues
Intramedullary -> directly into bone marrow; bones most used are femur and humerus;
used to provide blood or fluids to animals with very small or damaged veins or for
treatment of animals with very low blood pressure
Epidural/subdural -> epidural: outside the dura mater but inside the spinal canal
Subdural-> inside the dura mater (also called intrathecal route)
biotransformation - ANS-the body's ability to change a drug from the form in which it
was administered into a form that can be eliminated from the body
, list common chemical reactions involved in biotransformation - ANS-Oxidation- loss of
electrons
Reduction- gain of electrons
Hydrolysis- splitting of the drug molecule and addition of a water molecule to each of the
split portions
Conjugation- the addition of glucuronic acid or similar compounds to the drug molecule
factors that alter drug metabolism - ANS-species, age, nutritional status, tissue storage,
health status
kidneys excrete drugs by - ANS-Glomerular filtration: glomerulus acts like a sieve to
filter drug metabolites from the blood into the glomerular filtrate, which is eliminated as
urine
Tubular secretion- kidney tubule cells secrete metabolites from the capillaries
surrounding the tubule and into the glomerular filtrate, which becomes urine
list routes of drug excretion - ANS-kidneys, liver(bile->small intestines->fecal), lungs(gas
goes through blood-> alveoli-> expired air),
Some may be actively secreted across the intestinal mucosa into the intestine for
elimination,
Some drugs are eliminated through sweat and saliva
affinity - ANS-the tendency of a drug to combine with a receptor
partial agonist - ANS-a drug with less affinity and efficacy
examples of drug effects - ANS-stimulation, depression, irritation, cell death
drug-response curve - ANS-displays the relationship between the dose of a drug and
the body's response
potency - ANS-the amount of a drug needed to produce a desired response
therapeutic index - ANS-relationship between a drug's ability to achieve the desired
effect and its tendency to produce toxic effects
LD50/ED50
pharmaceutic - ANS-physical or chemical reactions take place as a result of mixing of
drugs in a syringe or other container