PHARMACOLOGY - Lesson 1
Translingual
Pharmacology Basics
 Pharmacokinetics
o Absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion of a
drug
 Pharmacodynamics
o The biochemical and physical
effects of drugs and the
mechanisms of drug actions
 Pharmacotherapeutics
o The use of drugs to prevent and
treat disease
Drug Name
 Chemical Name
o Is a scientific name that precisely
describes its anatomic and
molecular structure
 Generic Name
o Abbreviation of the chemical name
 Trade name
o Brand name or Proprietary name
o Selected by the drug company
selling the product
o These are protected by copyright
o The symbol ® indicates the name
is registered by and restricted to
the drug manufacturer
EXAMPLE
 Chemical Name
o 7-chloro-1, 3-dihydro-1, methyl-5-
phenyl-2h-2
 Generic Name
o Diazepam
 Brand Name
o Valium
Where drug comes from
 Natural sources:
o Plants
o Animals
o Minerals
 Synthetic
o Free from the impurities found in
natural substances
Drug Administration Routes
 Buccal, Sublingual. Translingual
BSN 2-D
o Buccal, Sublingual.
o Sublingual (under the tongue)
o Translingually (on the tongue)
 Gastric
o Allows direct installation of
medication into the GI system of
patients who can’t ingest the drug
orally
 Intradermal
o Injected into the skin (dermis)
o Used for testing allergies or
tuberculosis
 Intramuscular
o this route allows drugs to be
injected directly into various
muscle groups at varying tissue
depths
o it’s used to give aqueous
suspensions and solutions in oil,
immunizations, and medications
that aren’t available in oral form
 Intravenous
o the I.V. route allows injection of
substances (drugs, fluids, blood or
blood products, and diagnostic
contrast agents) directly into the
bloodstream through a vein
o administration can range from a
single dose to an ongoing infusion
delivered with great precision
 Oral
o this is usually the safest, most
convenient, and least expensive
route; drugs are administered to
patients who are conscious and
can swallow
 Rectal and vaginal
o suppositories, ointments, creams,
gels, and tablets may be instilled
into the rectum or vagina to treat
local irritation or infection; some
drugs applied to the mucosa of the
rectum or vagina can be absorbed
systemically
 Respiratory
o drugs that are available as gases
can be administered into the
respiratory system; drugs given by
inhalation are rapidly absorbed,
and medications given by such
devices as the metered-dose
inhaler can be self-administered, or
drugs can be administered directly
into the lungs through an
 endotracheal tube in emergency
situations
 Subcutaneous (subQ)
o with the subQ route, small
amounts of a drug are injected
beneath the dermis and into the
subcutaneous tissue, usually in the
patient’s upper arm, thigh, or
abdomen
 Topical
o this route is used to deliver a drug
through the skin or amucous
membrane; it’s used for most
dermatologic, ophthalmic, otic, and
nasal preparations
Drugs may also be given as specialized infusions
injected directly into a specific site in the patient’s
body such as:
 Epidural infusion (into the epidural space)
 Intrathecal infusion (into the cerebrospinal
fluid)
 Intrapleural infusion (into the pleural
cavity)
 Intraperitoneal infusion (into the
peritoneal cavity)
 Intraosseous infusion (into the rich
vascular network of a long bone)
 Intraarticular infusion (into a joint).
Drug Forms
 Solid Forms
o Pills
 Drugs shaped spherical to
be swallowed
o Tablets
 Powders compressed into
disc-like form
o Suppositories
 Drugs mixed with a waxlike
base that melts at body
temperature
o Capsules
 Gelatin containers filled
with powders or tiny pills
 Liquid Forms
o Solutions
 Water or oil based
o Tinctures
 Prepared using alcohol
extraction process
o Suspensions
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 Preparations in which the
solid does not dissolve in
the solvent
o Emulsions
 Suspensions with an oily
substance in the solvent
o Spirits
 Solution of a volatile drug in
alcohol
o Elixirs
 Alcohol and water solvent
often with flavouring
o Syrups
 Sugar, water, and drug
solutions
Pharmacokinetics
Kinetics refers to movement. Pharmacokinetics
deals with a drug’s actions as it moves through
the body. Therefore, pharmacokinetics discusses
how a drug is:
 Absorbed (taken into the body)
 Distributed (moved into various tissues)
 Metabolized (changed into a form that can
be excreted)
 Excreted (removed from the body)
This branch of pharmacology is also concerned
with a drug’s onset of action, peak concentration
level, and duration of action.
1. Absorption
a. Drug absorption covers a drug’s
progress from the time it’s
administered, through its passage
to the tissues, until it reaches
systemic circulation.
b. On a cellular level, drugs are
absorbed by several means-
primarily through active or passive
transport.
2. Distribution
a. Drug distribution is the process by
which the drug is delivered from
the systemic circulation to body
tissues and fluids. Distribution of
an absorbed drug within the body
depends on several factors:
 blood flow
 solubility
 protein binding
3. Metabolism
a. Drug metabolism, or
biotransformation, is the process
by which the body changes a drug
 from its dosage form to a more
water-soluble form that can then
be excreted. Drugs can be
metabolized in several ways:
 Most drugs are metabolized
into inactive metabolites
(products of metabolism),
which are then excreted.
 Other drugs are converted
to active metabolites, which
are capable of exerting
their own pharmacologic
action. Active metabolites
may undergo further
metabolism or may be
excreted from the body
unchanged
4. Excretion
a. Drug excretion refers to the
elimination of drugs from the body.
b. Most drugs are excreted by the
kidneys and leave the body
through urine. Drugs can also be
excreted through the lungs,
exocrine (sweat, salivary, or
mammary) glands, skin, and
intestinal tract.
Pharmacodynamics
The study of the drug mechanisms that produce
biochemical or physiologic changes in the body.
The interaction at the cellular level between a
drug and cellular components, such as the
complex proteins that make up the cell
membrane, enzymes, or target receptors,
represents drug action. The response resulting
from this drug action is the drug effect.
Pharmacotherapeutics
 Potential drug interactions include:
o additive effects
o potentiation
o antagonistic effects
o decreased or increased absorption
o decreased or increased
metabolism and excretion
Adverse Drug Reactions
 A drug’s desired effect is called the
expected therapeutic response.
 An adverse drug reaction (also called a
side effector adverse effect), on the other
hand, is a harmful, undesirable
 response.
 Adverse drug reactions can range from
mild ones that disappear when the drug is
discontinued to debilitating diseases that
become chronic.
 Adverse reactions can appear shortly after
starting a new medication but may
become less severe with time.
Types of Medication Orders
 STAT
o Needed immediately
 Single Order
o Given only once
 PRN
o Given as needed
 Standing Order
o Written in advance carried out
under specific circumstances

 the use of drugs to treat disease.

 When choosing a drug to treat a particular
condition, health care providers consider
not only the drug’s effectiveness but also
other factors such as the type of therapy
the patient will receive.
 Not all therapy is the same
Drug Interactions
Drug interactions can occur between drugs or
between drugs and foods. They can interfere with
the results of a laboratory test or produce physical
or chemical incompatibilities. The more drugs a
patient receives, the greater the chances that a
drug interaction will occur.

BSN 2-D