NURSING PHARMACOLOGY

CHAP I

Glossary:
Adverse effects – drug effects that are not the desired therapeutic effects, unpleasant / dangerous
Brand name- trade name,
Chemical name- name that reflects the chemical structure of the drug
Drugs- introduced into the body to bring about some sort of change
(FDA) Food and Drug Administration- federal agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of
drug evaluation and distribution policies.
Generic drugs- drugs sold by their chemical name, not brand/trade name
Generic name- original designation that a drug is given when the drug company that developed it
applies for the approval process.
Genetic engineering- process of altering DNA
Orphan drugs- drugs that have been discovered but would not be profitable for a drug company to
develop
(OTC) OVER-THE-COUNTER drugs- drugs that are available without a prescription for self-treatment of
a variety of complaints.
Pharmacology- study of biological effects of chemicals
Pharmacotherapeutics- clinical pharmacology- deals with drugs, chemicals for treatment, prevention
and diagnosis of humans
Phase I study- pilot study of a potential drug done by small number selected healthy human volunteers
Phase II study- clinical study of a proposed drug by selected physicians using actual patients
Phase III study- use of a proposed drug on a wide scale in the clinical setting with patients who have
the diseases the drug is ought to treat
Phase IV study- continual evaluation of a drug after it has been released for marketing
Preclinical trials- initial trial of a chemical thought to have therapeutic potential
Teratogenic- having adverse effects on the fetus

Nursing Responsibilities include the ff:

 Administering the drugs
 Assessing drug effects
 Intervening to make the regimen more tolerable
 Providing patient teaching about drugs and the drug regimen
 Monitoring the overall patient care plan to prevent medication errors
 Year enacted Law Impact

1906 Pure Food and Drug Act Prevented the marketing of

adulterated drugs; required
labeling to eliminate false or
misleading claims
1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Mandated tests for drug toxicity,
Act established procedures for
introducing new drugs, gave FDA
the power of enforcement
1951 Durham-Humphrey Amendment Tightened control of certain drugs,
may be labeled “may not be
distributed without prescription”
1962 Kefauver- Harris Act Tightened control over the quality
of drugs; gave FDA reg power
over the procedure of drug
investigations, stated the efficacy
as well as safety
1970 Controlled Substances Act Defined drug abuse and classifies
drugs as to their potential for
abuse
1983 Orphan Drug Act Provided incentives for the
development of orphan drugs for
treatment of rare diseases

CHAP 2

Glossary:
Absorption- what happens to a drug from the time it enters the body until it enters the circulating fluid
Active transport- the movement of substances across a cell membrane against the concentration
gradient
Chemotherapeutic agents- synthetic chemicals used to interfere with the functioning of foreign cell
populations
Critical concentration- the concentration of a drug must reach in the tissues that respond to the
particular drug to cause the desired effect
Distribution- movement of a drug to body tissues
Enzyme induction- process by which the presence of a chemical that is biotransformed by a particular
enzyme system in the liver causes increased activity of that enzyme system.
Excretion- removal of a drug from the body
First-pass effect- a phenomenon in which drugs given orally are carried directly to the liver after
absorption
Glomerular Filtration- water/water-soluble components from plasma into the renal tubule
Half-life – time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to decrease to one-half of the peak level it
previously achieved
 Hepatic microsomal system- liver enzymes tightly packed together in the hepatic intracellular structure
Loading dose- use of a higher dose than what is usually used for the treatment
Passive diffusion- movement of substances across a semi-permeable membrane with the
concentration gradient
Pharmacodynamics- the way a drug affects the body
Pharmacogenomics- the study of genetically determined variations in the response to drugs
Pharmacokinetics – the way the body deals with the drug
Placebo effect- documented effect of the mind on drug therapy
Receptor sites- specific areas on cell membranes that react with certain chemicals
Selective toxicity- property of a chemotherapeutic agent that affects only systems found in foreign cells
without affecting healthy human cells

Drugs usually work in 4 ways:

1. To REPLACE OR ACT as substitutes for missing chemicals
2. To INCREASE OR STIMULATE certain cellular activities
3. To DEPRESS OR SLOW cellular activities
4. To INTERFERE with the functioning of foreign cells

RECEPTOR SITES
 Agonists- some drugs INTERACT DIRECTLY with receptor sites to cause the same activity that natural
chemicals would cause at that site.
 Competitive antagonists- drugs react with receptor sites to block normal stimulation, producing no
effect
 Noncompetitive antagonists – other drugs react with specific receptor sites on a cell, and by reacting
there, prevent the reaction of another chemical with a different receptor site on that cell.

DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM involves several process:

 Absorption from the site of entry
 Distribution to the active site
 Biotransformation (metabolism) in the liver
 Excretion from the body

CHAP 3
Glossary:
Blood dyscrasia- bone marrow depression caused by drug effects on the rapidly multiplying cells of the
bone marrow.
Dermatological reactions- skin reactions commonly seen as adverse effects of drugs
Drug allergy- formation of antibodies to a drug or drug protein
Hypersensitivity- excessive responsiveness to either the primary or secondary effects of a drug
Poisoning- overdose of a drug
Stomatitis- inflammation of the mucous membranes
Superinfections- infections caused by the destruction of bacteria of the normal flaura by certain drugs

ADVERSE EFFECTS
- Undesired effects that may be unpleasant or even dangerous
They can occur for the ff reasons:
 Drugs may have other effects on the body
 Patient may be sensitive to the drug being given
 Drug’s action on the body may cause other responses that are undesirable or unpleasant
  The patient may be taking too much or too little of the drug

DRUG ALLERGIES
 ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION
- Involves an antibody that reacts with specific sites in the body to cause the release of chemicals,
including histamine that produce immediate reaction.
- ASSESSMENT:
Hives, rash, difficulty in breathing, increased BP, diaphoresis, increased heart rate, resp. arrest
- INTERVENTION:
Administer epinephrine

 CYTOTOXIC REACTION
- Involves antibodies that circulate in the blood and attack antigens (the drug) on cell sites, causing
death at the cell. Reaction not immediate but may be seen over a few days.
- ASSESSMENT:
Complete blood count showing damage to blood-forming cells; liver function tests show elevated
liver enzymes