CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY

Learning Objectives

At the end of this chapter the student will be able to:

1. Define various terminologies used in Pharmacology.
2. Know about nature and sources of drugs.
3. Understand pharmacodynamics like mechanism of drug action, dose relation ship and pharmacokinetics like absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of drugs.
4. Understand theoritical pharmacokinetics like half-life, order of kinetics, steady state plasma concentration.
5. Understand drug safety and effectiveness like factors affecting drug action and adverse drug reactions.
6. Understand new drug development and evaluation.

I. Introduction to Pharmacology

Definitions:

Pharmacology: Pharmacology is the study of interaction of drugs with living organisms. It also includes history, source, physicochemical properties, dosage forms, methods of administration, absorption, distribution mechanism of action, biotransformation, excretion, clinical uses and adverse effects of drugs.

Clinical Pharmacology: It evaluate the pharmacological action of drug preferred route of administration and safe dosage range in human by clinical trails.

Drugs: Drugs are chemicals that alter functions of living organisms. Drugs are generally given for the diagnosis, prevention, control or cure of disease.

Pharmacy: It is the science of identification, selection, preservation, standardisation, compounding and dispensing of medical substances.