Pharmacokinetics
What the body does to a drug: absorption, bioavailability and hepatic first pass, distribution and protein binding, liver metabolism and interactions, renal elimination, half-life and steady state, with the situations where the dose must be adjusted.
- 37 cards
- 4 topics
- Free
The outline, topic by topic
Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.
- Concepts
- On the diagram
- Scenarios
- Understand
A few cards from the deck
Absorption: what is it?
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The drug's passage from where it is given into the bloodstream.
An intravenous injection skips it: all the drug is in the blood at once.
A drug has a 6-hour half-life. Roughly how long until it reaches steady state with regular doses?
- About 30 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- A week
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About 30 hours
Five half-lives: 5 × 6 = 30 hours.
Bioavailability: what is it?
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The share of the dose given that reaches the general circulation in active form.
It is 100 % intravenously, often less by mouth.
Why is a loading dose sometimes given at the start of treatment?
- To avoid side effects
- To save the drug
- It serves no purpose
- To reach an effective level at once, without waiting five half-lives
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To reach an effective level at once, without waiting five half-lives
It is useful for long half-life drugs.