USA - Pharmacology - Vocab

A drug name that is derived from the specific chemical structure of the compound. This name is not used clinically but is shortened in some way to form the drug’s more common name.

The name applied to a drug, which is not protected by a trademark. Usually a shortened version of the drug's chemical name.

The name given to a drug by the pharmaceutical company; it is protected by a trademark and used by the company for marketing the drug

Drugs designated by the federal government as having increased potential for abuse and illegal use. These substances are grouped into five categories (schedules), with schedule I substances having the highest abuse potential and schedule V substances having a relatively low potential for abuse.

The relationship between incremental doses of a drug and the magnitude of the reaction that those doses will cause.

The drug dose that produces a specific therapeutic response in 50 percent of the patients in whom it is tested.

The drug dose that causes death in 50 percent of the experimental animals in which it is tested.

The drug dose that produces a specific adverse response in 50 percent of the patients in whom it is tested.

A drug is prescribed to treat conditions other than those approved by the FDA.

Drugs that are designed and approved to treat rare diseases. Because these drugs are only used in a small patient population (usually less than 200,000 people), financial and other incentives are often provided by various sources to encourage a drug company to develop and market the drug.

The study of how drugs affect the body—that is, the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of drug action

The study of the how genetic variability can influence drug responses and metabolism.

The study of how the body handles drugs—that is, the manner in which drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted.

The study of how drugs are used in the prevention and treatment of disease.

Therapeutic index (TI)

The extent to which a drug reaches the systemic circulation following administration by various routes.

Buccal

Administration of drugs by way of the alimentary canal.

The phenomenon in which drugs absorbed from the stomach and small intestine must pass through the liver before reaching the systemic circulation. Certain drugs undergo extensive hepatic metabolism because of their trip through the liver.

Administration of substances within a sheath; typically refers to injection into the sub-arachnoid space surrounding the spinal cord.

Administration of drugs by routes other than via the alimentary canal: by injection, transdermally, topically, and so on.

Drugs administered under the tongue and are absorbed into the systemic circulation via the venous drainage.

A ratio used to estimate the distribution of a drug within the body relative to the total amount of fluid in the body. It is calculated as the amount of drug administered divided by the plasma concentration of the drug.

A series of enzymes located on the smooth endo-plasmic reticulum that are important in catalyzing drug biotransformation.

Biochemical changes that occur to the drug within the body, usually resulting in the breakdown and inactivation of the drug

The process by which the active form of the drug is removed from the bloodstream by either metabolism or excretion.

An enzyme located on the inner surface of many cell membranes; it is important in mediating biochemical changes in the cell in response to drug and hormone stimulation

A drug that binds to a receptor and causes some change in cell function

A drug that binds to a receptor but does not cause a change in cell activity

Substances that bind to a cell receptor and alter the receptor’s affinity for specific drugs

The ring-shaped conformation of adenosine monophosphate, which is important in acting as a second messenger in mediating the intracellular response to drug stimulation.

A brief and transient decrease in the responsiveness of cellular receptors to drug effects.

A prolonged decrease in the number and/or sensitivity of drug receptors, usually occurring as a compensatory response to over stimulation of the receptor.

An inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord.

Bind with guanine nucleotides and regulate cell activity. They often serve as a link between surface receptors and ion channels or intracellular enzymes such as adenylate cyclase.

A drug that activates estrogen receptors on bone and vascular tissues, while blocking estrogen receptors on breast and uterine tissues. These drugs can be used to enhance bone mineralization and to prevent certain cancers.

A neurotransmitter in the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
Principal synapses using this neurotransmitter include the skeletal neuromuscular junction, autonomic ganglia, and certain pathways in the brain.

A neurotransmitter that is important in certain brain pathways and in the terminal synapses of the sympathetic nervous system.

A steroid (mineralocorticoid) hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that acts on the kidney to increase sodium reabsorption, thereby retaining sodium in the body.

A neurotransmitter located in the central nervous system (CNS) that is important in motor control and in certain aspects of behavior. The presence of endogenous or exogenous ______ in the periphery also affects cardiovascular function.

An enzyme that breaks down phosphodiester bonds in organic compounds. They are important clinically because they break down second messengers such as cyclic AMP, and drugs that inhibit these enzymes prolong the effects of cyclic AMP in the lungs and other tissues.

Refers to synapses or physiological responses involving epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Refers to synapses or physiological responses involving acetylcholine.

Refers to a substance that increases muscular contraction force (positive ____) or decreases contraction force (negative _____).
Certain cardiac drugs are considered positive _____ because they increase the force of cardiac contractions.

Drugs that decrease activity at acetylcholine synapses.
These agents are often used to diminish activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Drugs that inhibit or antagonize function within the sympathetic nervous system.

Drugs that decrease the blood’s capacity to coagulate (clot).

Drugs which facilitate the breakdown and dissolution of clots that have already formed. These drugs work by converting plasminogen (profibrinolysin) to plasmin (fibrinolysin).

The clinical syndrome of bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor, and postural instability associated with neurotransmitter abnormalities within the basal ganglia.

A condition characterized by insulin resistance, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and hyperlipidemia.

Severe pain and constriction in the chest region, usually associated with myocardial ischemia.

A clinical syndrome of cardiac disease that is marked by decreased myocardial contractility, peripheral edema, shortness of breath, and decreased tolerance for physical exertion.

A hereditary disease in which an individual is unable to synthesize adequate amounts of a specific clotting factor.

A sudden fall in blood pressure that occurs when the patient stands erect; this is a frequent side effect of many medications.

A pathological condition characterized by a sustained, reproducible increase in blood pressure.

A significant deviation from normal cardiac rhythm that results in a heart rate that is slower or faster than normal, or irregular.

The process of preventing blood loss from the circulation following injury to blood vessels.

A blood clot formed by the activation of fibrin and platelets

A chronic and excessive increase in plasma lipids in the blood.

A protein produced in the brain that helps sustain neuronal activity and growth.
It may be important in mediating the effects of antidepressants and other CNS drugs.

An enzyme that degrades levodopa to an inactive metabolite in the bloodstream and other tissues.
Certain drugs (e.g. carbidopa) can protect levodopa so that it is not degraded prematurely in patients with Parkinson disease.

A feeling of extreme motor restlessness and an inability to sit still; may occur because of antipsychotic drug therapy.

An involuntary movement ranging from minor tremors and tics to severe uncoordinated movements of the trunk and extremities.
These involuntary movements are associated with certain movement disorders and can also be a side effect of specific medications, such as antiparkinson drugs and antipsychotic medications.

A movement disorder characterized by involuntary, fragmented movements of the mouth, face, and jaw (i.e., chewing, sucking, tongue protrusion, etc.). This disorder may occur during the prolonged administration of antipsychotic drugs.

A chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures that are manifested as brief periods of altered consciousness, involuntary motor activity, or vivid sensory phenomena.

A term frequently used to describe antipsychotic drugs, referring to the tendency of these drugs to produce a behavioral syndrome of apathy, sedation, decreased initiative, and decreased responsiveness.

Drugs that decrease activity at acetylcholine synapses.
These agents are often used to diminish activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Period of several days to several weeks in which medications are withdrawn from the patient to allow recovery from drug tolerance or toxicity; sometimes used in patients with advanced cases of Parkinson disease.

A phenomenon in Parkinson disease in which the effectiveness of the medication wears off toward the end of the dosing interval, resulting in a virtual lack of volitional movement from the patient.

The fluctuation in response seen in certain patients with Parkinson disease, in which the effectiveness of medications may suddenly diminish at some point between dosages.

Administration of local anesthesia into the spinal canal between the bony vertebral column and the dura mater.

Administration of local anesthesia into the spinal canal between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater (i.e., the subarachnoid space).

Type of chemical linkage found in some local anesthetics involving carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (-NH-CO-)

Type of chemical linkage found in some local anesthetics involving carbon and oxygen (-CO-O-)