IMPORTANT PHARMACOLOGICAL TERMS:

IMPORTANT PHARMACOLOGICAL TERMS:

IMPORTANT PHARMACOLOGICAL TERMS:

•Antagonism

–The opposition between 2 or more medications  ex. narcotics and Naloxone

•Bolus

–A single, often large dose of a drug.  Often the initial dose

•Cumulative action

–An increased effect caused by multiple doses of the same drug.  Caused by buildup in the blood.

•Hypersensitivity

–A reaction to a drug that is more profound than expected and which often results in an exaggerated immune response

•Idiosyncrasy

–A reaction to a drug that is significantly different from what is expected

•Indication

–The medical condition for which the drug has proven therapeutic value.

•Parenteral

–Any route of administration other than the digestive tract

•Pharmacodynamics

–Study of the mechanisms by which drugs act to produce biochemical or physiological changes in the body

•Pharmacokinetics

–Study of how drugs enter the body, reach their site of action and are eliminated from the body.

•Potentiation

–The enhancement of a drug’s effect by another drug 

–Eg. promethazine may enhance the effect of morphine; also  alcohol and barbiturates

•Refractory

–The failure of a patient to respond as expected to a certain medication

•Synergism

–The combined action of 2 or more drugs that is greater than the sum of the 2 drugs acting independently.

•Therapeutic Action

–The intended action of a drug given in an appropriate medical setting

•Therapeutic Threshold

–The minimum amount of a drug that is required to cause the desired response

•Therapeutic Index

–The difference between the therapeutic threshold and the amount of the drug considered to be toxic

–Often referred to as Safe and Effective range.

•Tolerance

–The decreased sensitivity or response to a drug that occurs after repeated doses

–Increased doses are required to achieve the desired effect

•Untoward Effect

–A side effect of a drug that is harmful to the patient