This document provides an introduction to pharmacology. It discusses key topics including branches of pharmacology such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics. Pharmacokinetics refers to what the body does to drugs and includes absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Pharmacodynamics is what drugs do to the body and how they produce their effects. Pharmacotherapeutics is the use of drugs to treat diseases. The document also covers drug terminology, sources and names of drugs, routes of drug administration, factors affecting drug response, and common pharmaceutical dosage forms.

1. INTRODUCTION
TO
PHARMACOLOGY
PCL NURSING
DR. SAROJ SUWAL

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Branches of Pharmacology
• Pharmacokinetics
• ,pharmacodynamics
• Terminology

3. INTRODUCTION
PHARMACOLOGY
• Science of drugs- dealing with the study of Desirable and Undesirable
effects.
Is science that deals with the
study of drugs and their
interaction with the living
systems.

4. PHARMACOLOGY
• Include Physical and Chemical Properties of drugs as
well as their biochemical and physiological effect
WHO defined drug as “any substance on product
that is used or intended to be used to modify or
explore physiological system or pathological
states for the benefit of the recipient.”

5. BRANCHES OF PHARMACOLOGY
• 1. Pharmacokinetics- body does to
drug
2. Pharmacodynamicsdrugs
does to body
3. Therapeutics
4. Chemotherapy
5. Toxicology—adverse effect
6. Clinical Pharmacology
7. Pharmacy
8. Pharmacognosy- identification
of drug by see & smell
9. Pharmacogenetics
10. Pharmacoepidemiology
11. Comparative Pharmacology
12. Animal Pharmacology
13. Pharmacoeconomics cost
14. Posology- deals with dosage of
drug

6. • Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacodynamics
• Pharmacotherapeutics
• Pharmacy
• Toxicology

7. PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS
• branch of medicine concerned with the cure of disease
or relief of symptoms and induces drug treatment.

8. PHARMACY
•It is the science of:
• Identification
• Selection
• Preservation
• Standardization
• Compounding, and
• Dispensing of medicinal substances

9. TOXICOLOGY
• the branch of science concerned with the nature, effects,
and detection of poisons.
• the measurement and analysis of potential toxins,
intoxicating or banned substances, and prescription
medications present in a person's body.

10. PHARMACOPOEIA
• is an official code containing a selected list of the established
drugs and medicinal preparations with descriptions of their
physical properties and tests for their identity, purity and
potency. e.g. IP, BP, USP, etc. IP: Indian Ph

11. DRUG:
•is a substance used in the
• purpose of diagnosis,
• prevention or treatment of disease.
• Broadly
• Chemical substance derived from different sources( plant
and animals) use to alter the function of living or bacterial
tissue

12. SOURCE OF DRUGS
•Natural
•Plant, animal,microoranisms,Minerals
•Synthetic
• Semi synthetic
• synthetic

16. DRUG NAMES
•Chemical Name
• chemical composition and molecular structure.
•Generic Name
• usually suggested by the manufacturer.
•• Official Name
• as listed in the Pharmacopoeia. (I.P., B.P., U.S.P.)
•• Brand Name
• the trade or proprietary name

17. • Chemical Name
• 1,4 benzodiazepine analog
• Generic Name
• Alprazolam
• Official Name
• Alprazolam,
• USP Brand Name
• Alprax®
C8H9NO2

19. DOSE VS. DOSAGE
•Dose: The quantity of drug administered at one time
• 500mg of Paracetamol
•Dosage: The amount of the drug that should be given over
time
• 500 mg Paracetamol TID for 3 days

20. DOSING
Dosing Interval –
• How often the drug should be given •
Loading dose –
• Which puts the plasma concentration in the therapeutic range
Maintenance dose –
• Routine smaller doses to maintain the steady state (Plateau)

21. TYPES OF DOSAGE FORM

22. ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATIONS
1. Enteral (Through alimentary
canal )
• Oral,
• SUBLINGUAL, BUCCAL,Translinguial
• rectal
2. Parental(Through skin or
Injection
• SUBCUTANEOUS
• INTRAMUSCULAR
• INTRADERMAL
• INTRAVENOUS/arterial
• subcutaneous
3. INHALATIONAL( directly to
respiratory tract)
4. TOPICAL
• Others (vaginal,

23. most common natural Route of drug administrations
tablets, syrups, capsules
Types
• ORAL-GI Route
• BUCCAL ROUTE
• SUBLINGUAL ROUTE
ORAL route

24. ADVANTAGES:
 Least expensive
 Easily Available
 most convenient route for most clients.
 Safe, does not break the skin.
 Conscious, able to swallow.

25. 1. ORAL ROUTE
Disadvantages:
• Inappropriate for patient with nausea and vomiting.
• may have unpleasant taste.
• May cause irritation to gastro intestinal tract.
• discolor teeth and tongue
• can be aspirated
• Rate of absorption variable

26. 2. SUBLINGUAL
drug placed under the tongue, where it dissolved.
Advantage:
• Same as oral plus
• Drug may administered for local effect.
• Drug rapidly absorbed into blood stream.
• More potent than oral.

27. Disadvantage:
• If swallowed drug may be inactive.
• Drug must remain under the tongue until
dissolved.
• May differ with the taste

28. BUCCAL ROUTE

29. . Rectal:
• can be used when drug objectionable
taste.
Translingual:
• on the tongue.

30. PARENTAL
(THROUGH SKIN )
•Intramuscular (IM)
•Subcutaneous (SC)
•Intravenous(IV)
•Intradermal ( ID)
•Intrathecal(IT)

31. into in the muscle.
Sites: Gluteal muscle, deltoid, thigh muscle,
Advantage:
• Pain from irritating drugs is minimized.
• Can administer large volume of drug.
• Drug rapidly absorbed.
Disadvantage:
• breaks skin barrier.
Intramuscular (IM):

33. Subcutaneous (SC):
• hypodermic into subcutaneous tissue, just below the
skin.
• Advantage:
• onset drug action faster than oral.
• Disadvantage:
• Must involve sterile technique because breaks skin barrier.
• More expensive than oral.
• Can administer only small doses.
• Slower than intramuscular injection.
• Some drug can irritate tissue and can cause INTENSE pain.

34. 7. Intradermal (ID):
drug into the dermal layer of the skin just beneath the
epidermis, usually small amount of liquid is used for
example 0.1ml.
• Advantage:
• absorption is slow (this advantage test for allergy).
• Disadvantage:
amount of drug administered must be small.
Breaks skin barrier

35. 8. Intravenous (IV):
•allow injection of drugs and
another substance directly into
bloodstream through the vein.
9. Inhalation:
• is apply to drugs directly onto
lungs.

36. Topical Route
1. Skin (including transdermal patches)
2. Eyes
3. Ears
4. Nose
5. Lungs (inhalation)

37. PHARMACOKINETICS:
what the body does the drug
•kinesis  movement
•is the study of the (ADME)
• absorption, distribution ,metabolism and
excretion of drugs

38. PHARMACOKINETICS
• Absorption
• Distribution
• Metabolism
• Excretion

39. ABSORPTION:
• May be via several routes
• Oral (mucosa,sublinguial)
• GI tract(intestines) – In aqueous form
• Skin (eg.fentanyl patch)
movement of a drug into the bloodstream.

40. FACTORS AFFECTING ABSORPTION OF DRUGS
• Route of administration
• Solubility
• Concentration
• Media of absorbing surface
• Circulation
• Interaction
• Disease state

41. DISTRIBUTION
• Movement of drugs throughout the body
• Move through Different compartments
• Plasma
• Interstitial fluid compartment
• Transcellular fluid compartment( fluid in GI tract, bronchi, CSF)
• Cellular Fluid compartment

42. PROCESS INVOLVED IN DISTRIBUTION
• Diffusion (simple,facilated )
• Transport(active,passive,carrier mediated )
• Filtration or pore transport
• Endocytosis(phagocytosis—solid and microbes ,pinocytosispolio
vaccine& nutrients)

44. Oral Drugs
enter the
bloodstream .
most of drugs
diffuse into
the extracellular
fluids
;some enter the
cells
some may bind
onto the cell
membrane or
other structures.

45. PLASMA CONCENTRATION OF DRUG
•After absorption  drug int blood stream(
plasma )
•Drug in blood in two forms
• Inactive drug bound to protein
• free bound drug has pharmacological action .

46. FACTORS DETERMINING PLASMA CONCENTRATION
• Dose ( High dose high concentration)
• Route ( IV rapid rise in concentration )
• Rate of elimination
• Distribution ( more widely distribute less plasma concentration

47. METABOLISM
•Breakdown Process or Bio transformation
•Chiefly occurs in Liver
•Three forms after metabolism
• Conversion to less inactive substance
• Conversion to less less active substance
• Conversion to less active substance( Pro-Drug)

48. METABOLISM

50. EXCRETION -ALSO REFERRED TO AS CLEARANCE
• KIDNEYS- urine (Mostly)
• Skin-sweat,
• GI-stool ,
• Lungs
• Saliva
• Liver

51. PHARMACODYNAMICS
owhat the drug does the body
•Also called drug actions
• Dynamics Mechanics
•is the study of
• the effect of the drugs on the body and their
mechanism of action

52. PHARMACO DYANAMICS
drugs enter
the
human
stimulate
• enzymes
• transporter
proteins
cause body
To
react in a specific
way.
• receptors,
• ion channels,
act on
result

53. FOUR TARGETS OF DRUG ACTION ON
CELLS
• Receptors
• Ach receptors / Epinephrine receptors
• Ion Channels
• Voltage gated Na+ / K+ / Ca++
• • Enzymes
• Cyclooxygenase / Acetylcholine esterase
• • Carriers
• •Na+/ K+ pump / Proton Pump

54. ACTION ON SPECIFIC RECEPTOR
• Drug receptor reaction
• D+RDR complex
• Affinity and Intrinsic activity
• Affinity tendency to form combination with
receptor
• Intrinsic activity or efficacy capacity to
stimulate reaction
• Agonist and Antagonist
• Drug that produce pharmacological effect
when combine with receptor  agonist
• No effect but reduce effect of agonist

55. FACTORS AFFECTING RESPONSE TO DRUGS
• Age
• Sex
• Bodyweight
• Route
• Climate
• Time of administration
• Drug dosage form
• Disease
• Exercise
• Diet
• Sunlight
• behavior

56. DRUG ACTION
•DESIRED effect
• ( PCM decreased temperature)
•undesirable effect
• known as side effects/ adverse effects

57. ADVERSE REACTIONS
• Allergic Reactions
• Hives
• Itching
• Edema
• Anaphylactic reaction
• Respiratory distress
• Cardiovascular collapse

59. RISKS WITH DRUGS
•Carcinogenicity
• ability of a drug to cause living cells to mutate
and become cancerous
•Teratogen
• drug that induces birth defects

60. BIOAVAILABILITY
• • Bioavailability is a fraction of administered dose of a
drug that reaches the systemic circulation in the
unchanged form.
• Bioavailability of IV route : 100 %

61. HALF LIFE (T1/2 )
is the time required to reduce the plasma concentration
to 50% of its original value •
Will determine dosing requirements / how long a drug
will remain in the body
• Used in determining dosing interval

62. PHARMACEUTICAL TERMINOLOGIES
•Tablet
• Solid preparations e.g. PCM tablets
•Capsule
• Made from gelatin
• Spherical or oval shape
• Two types hard capsule and soft capsule

63. •Aerosols
• Suspension of fine solid and liquid
particle in gas
• By spray
• Commonly in respiratory problem
• E.g. .. Salbutamol aerosols

64. •Dusting Powder
• Fine powder
• E.g. Nycil dusting powder
•Elixir
• Clear liquid preparation with pleasant flavor
• E.g. PCM exlir

65. •Enemas
• Suspension, solution or emulsion for rectal
administration
• Easyvac enema, soap water enema
•Suppositories
• Solid preparation for administration in rectal or
vagina
• They melt and exert action
• E.g. Bisacodyl suppositories, glycerin suppository

66. •Pessaries
• For vaginal medication
•Solution
• Medication in solution, e.g. Salbutamol solution

67. •Paints
• Liquid preparation for application to skin and mucosa
• E.g. Gentian violet stain
•Mixture
• Most common form of liquid oral preparation
• Must shake before use

68. •Cream
• Semisolid emulsion for external use
• E.g. . Betamethasone cream
•Ointments
• Semisolid greasy
• Thicker than cream
• E.g. Neosporin ointment, betadine
ointment
•Paste
• Harder and thicker than ointment
• E.g. magnesium sulphate paste
•Lotion
• External preparation without friction
• E.g. Gamma benzene heachloride lotion

69. • Thank you