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the process whereby a drug enters the circulatory system.
Absorption
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A dependence characterized by a perceived need to take a drug to attain the psychological and physical effects of mood altering substances.
Addiction
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The strength by which a particular chemical messenger binds to its receptor site on a cell.
Affinity
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Drugs that bind to a particular receptor site and trigger the cell's response in a manner similar to the action of the body's own chemical messenger.
Agonist
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substance that produces and allergic response.
Allergen
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A severe allergic response resulting in immediate life-threatening respiratory distress, usually followed by vascular collapse and shock an accompanied by hives.
Anaphylactic reaction
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abnormal accumulation of fluid in tissue.
Angioedemia
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Drugs that bind to a receptor site and block the action of the endogenous messenger or other drugs.
Antagonist
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A specific molecule that stimulates an immune response.
Antigen
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the degree to which a drug or other substance becomes available to the target tissue after adminisration.
Bioavailability
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A barrier that prevents many substances from entering the cerebrospinal fluid from the blood.
Blood-brain barrier
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a point at which no clinical response occurs with increased dosage.
Ceiling effect
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The rate at which a drug is eliminated from a specific volume of blood per unit of time.
Clearance
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A disease, condition, or symptom for which a drug will not be beneficial and may do harm.
Contraindication
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a state in whch a person's body has adapted physiologically and psychologically to a drug and cannot function without it.
Dependence
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the process by which a drug moves from the blood into other body fluids and tissues and ultimately to its site of action
Distribution
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The length of time a drug gives the desired response or is at the therapeutic level.
Duration of action
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Removal of a drug or it's metabolites from the body by excretion
Elimination
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a constant fraction of the drug is eliminated per unit of time
first-order
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the extent to which a drug is metabolized by the liver before reaching systemic circulation
first-pass effect
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the time necessary for the body to eliminate half of the drug in the body at any time.
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stability of the organism
Homeostasis
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an unusual or unexpected response to a drug that is unrelated to the dose given.
Idiosyncratic reaction
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A disease, symptom, or condition for which a drug is known to be of benefit.
Indication
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The process whereby a drug increases the concentration of certain enzymes that affect the pharmacologic response to another drug.
Induction
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the process whereby a drug blocks enzyme activity and impairs the metabolism of another drug.
Inhibition
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A change in the action of a drug caused by another drug, a food, or another substance such as alcohol or nicotine.
Interaction
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A fatty molecule, an important constituent of cell membranes.
Lipid
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an action of a drug that is confined to a specific part of the body.
Local effect
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amount of a drug that will bring the blood concentration rapidly to a therapeutic level
Loading dose
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Amount of a drug administered at regular intervals to keep the blood concentration at a therapeutic level
maintenance dose
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the sequence of chemical steps that convert a drug into a metabolite.
Metabolic Pathway
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The process by which drugs are chemically converted to other compounds.
Metabolism
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A substance into which a drug is chemically converted in the body.
Meabolite
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The top or upper limit of a drug's concentration in the blood.
Peak
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A method of describing the process of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of a drug within the body mathematically.
Pharmacokinetic modeling
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The activity of a drug within the body over a period of time; includes absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination.
Pharmacokinetics
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Effect of a drug in preventing infection or disease.
Prophylaxis
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Itching sensation.
Pruritus
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a protein molecule on the surface of or within a cell that recognizes and binds with specific molecules, thereby producing some effect within the cell.
Receptor
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A secondary response to a drug other than the primary therapeutic effect for which the drug was intended.
Side Effect
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A drug's ability to dissolve in body fluids.
Solubility
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the property of a receptor site that enables it to bind only with a specific chemical messenger; to bind with a specific cell type, the messenger must have a chemical structure that is complementary to the structure of the cell's receptors.
Specificity
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An action of a drug that has generalized, all-inclusive effect on the body.
systemic effect
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the desired action of a drug in the treatment of a particular disease state or symptom.
Therapeutic effect
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the optimum dosage, providing the best chance for successful therapy; dosing below this range has little effect on the healing process, while overdosing can lead to toxicity and death.
Therapeutic Range
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A decrease in response to the effects of a drug as it continues to be administered.
Tolerance
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The lowest level of a drug in the blood.
Trough
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Hives, itching sensation.
Urticaria
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Mathematical relationship between the blood concentration attained and the amount of drug administered.
Volume of distribution
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slightly elevated, red areas on the body surface
Wheals
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Not depending on the concentration of the drug in the body. (a constant quantity of drug is removed per unit of time.)
Zero-order
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