Clinical pharmacology basic principles course explains Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics. It also discusses the factors affecting drug response in patients.
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Definition you need to know for this course
- Pharmacology is the study of substances that interact with living systems through chemical processes
- Clinical pharmacology is the study of substances that interact with humans bodies through chemical processes
- Pharmacokinetics refers to what the body does to a drug (the journey of the drug inside the human body)
- Four pharmacokinetic properties determine the onset, intensity, and duration of drug action, those include:
- Absorption: First, absorption from the site of administration into plasma of the blood.
- Distribution: Second, the drug may reversibly leave the bloodstream and distribute into the interstitial and intracellular fluids.
- Metabolism: Third, the drug is bio transformed through metabolism by the liver or other tissues into water soluble molecules to be easily excreted.
- Elimination: Finally, the drug and its metabolites are eliminated from the body in urine, bile, or feces.
- Pharmacodynamics describes what the drug does to the body. (the action of the drug)
- This involves interaction with receptors, ion channels , enzymes and carrier molecules to produce effects