Introduction To Pharmacology

Introduction to Pharmacology
By: Sayyed Nadar shah

Outlines
Discuss the terminologies related to pharmacology
Discuss the history of pharmacology briefly
Identify the purposes of medication
Identify the source of medication
Discuss the classification of drugs
Describe the three type of drug supply system.
Discuss the drugs standards and legislation.
Identify resource to collect and utilize drug information.
Learn to prepare drugs cards
Terminologies related to pharmacology
Pharmacology: is a science that studies the effect of the drugs on the body.
Pharmacopeias: are the total of all authorized drugs available within the country.
Prescription: the written direction for the preparation and the administration of the
drug.
Medication: is a substance administered for diagnosis, cure, treatment, mitigation or
prevention.
Loading dose: use of a higher dose than that which is usually used for treatment to
allow the drug to reach the critical concentration sooner
Stat dose: "STAT" means immediately and "Right now" is intended as an order that
should be given within a time frame of 60 to 90 minutes.
Placebo effect: documented effect of the mind on drug therapy (a person perceives
that a drug will be effective).
Teratogenic: having adverse effects on the fetus.
The therapeutic effect: is the primary effect intended that is the reason the drug is
prescribed such as morphine sulfate is analgesia.
Side effect: secondary effect of the drug is one that unintended, side effects are
usually predictable and may be either harmless.
Drug toxicity: deleterious effect of the drug on an organism or tissue, result from
overdose or external use.
Drug allergy: is immunological reaction to a drug.
Drug interaction: occur when administration of one drug before or after alter effect
of one or both drug.
Drug misuse: Is the improper use of common medications in way that lead to acute
and chronic toxicity for example laxative, antacid and vitamins.
Psychological dependence: is emotional reliance on a drug to maintain a since of
wellbeing accompanied feeling of need.
Physiological dependence: is due to biochemical changes in the body tissue these
tissue come to require substance for normal function.
Drug habituation: denotes a mild form of psychological dependence.
Illicit drug: also called street drug are those sold illegally.
Agonist:
A drug capable of binding and activating a receptor, leading to a
pharmacological response that may mimic that of a naturally
occurring substance. Can be classified as full, partial or inverse.
Full agonist - Is capable of eliciting a maximal response as it displays
full efficacy at that receptor.
Partial agonist - Binds to and activates a receptor but is only able to
elicit partial efficacy at that receptor.
Inverse agonist - Produces an effect that is pharmacologically
opposite to an agonist, yet acts at the same receptor.
When full and partial agonists are present the partial agonist may act
as a competitive antagonist.
Terminologies
Antagonist:
related to pharmacology
Does not produce a biological response on binding to a receptor but instead blocks or
reduces the effect of an agonist. It may be competitive or non-competitive.
Chemical (Physical) Antagonists: Chemical antagonists do not act at the receptor
level, but rather there is a chemical or physical interaction between the drug and the
endogenous target substance.
Physiologic (Functional) Antagonists: Epinephrine and histamine are good examples
of physiologic antagonists. Histamine is a vasodilator and bronchoconstrictor.
Epinephrine supports blood pressure and causes bronchodilation but does not act
through the histamine receptor.
Pharmacokinetic Antagonists: One drug attenuates the action of another drug by
decreasing its concentration at the site of action. This may occur through changes in
absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion.
An example is activated charcoal used in acute treatment of poisonings. Ingestion of
activated charcoal binds drug in the intestine and reduces or prevents its absorption.
Pharmacologic Antagonist: The antagonist prevents agonist binding or agonist
activation of the receptor and inhibits the biologic effects generated by the agonist.
Pharmacokinetics: is a bout how the body deal
with drug.
Pharmacodynamics: is effect of drug on the
body.
Pharmacotherapeutics: is a clinical using of
drug.
Pharmacogenomics—the relation of the
individual’s genetic makeup to his or her
response to specific drugs
Pharmacognosy: The study of natural (plant

and animal) drug sources.
Names of Drugs
The generic name: is given for the drug to being official name.
The official name: is the name under which its listed in one in the
official publication.
The chemical name: is the name by which the chemist knows it.
The trade mark or brand name (proprietary name) : is name
given by the drug manufacture
Example: hydrochlorothiazide (official name).
Esidrex (brand name)
History of pharmacology
• The term pharmacology is of Greek origin from two words: pharmakon, meaning
“medicine,” and ology, meaning “the study of.”
• The word drug has a Dutch origin in which droog meant “dry” as in the use of dry
herbs.
The age of natural substances is characterized by the use of plant derivatives.
The age of synthetic substances is characterized by the mass production of synthetic medicines and drug
screening techniques.
The age of biotechnology is characterized by the isolation, characterization and manufacture in

a laboratory of endogenous signaling chemicals for use as therapeutic agents.
In Egypt, a medical document called the Ebers Papyrus was written circa 1550 B.C. and
lists about 700 “recipes” for a host of illnesses, from crocodile bites to psychiatric
illnesses.
Another document, the Al-Hawi, is a large, 20-volume medical book written by the ancient
Iranian physician, Al-Razi. It was translated into Latin in the 13th century and greatly
influenced medicine in medieval Europe.
Pharmacological advances through the 19th and 20th centuries

“Healers” were known as wise men, shamans, witch doctors, medicine men and women,
and so on , depending on the culture, and were chosen based on their knowledge of plants.
During the 1800s, chemists were able to isolate the pure chemicals needed from the plant,
and this marked the beginning of modern pharmacology.
Unfortunately, by the early 1900s, preparing medicine was
still very labor-intensive; the pharmacist still had to distill
and prepare each medicine when it was ordered (Fig. 1-2).
Not until approximately 40 years later, during World War II
(1939–1945), did the mass production of medicine begin
(Fig. 1-3)
FIGURE 1-2: Pharmacist making up a prescription, 1939.
Pharmacology advanced rapidly in the second half of the (From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division,
20th century as many new drugs were Washington, D.C.)
either discovered or developed
Pharmacology in the 21st century The development of new

medications is ongoing and endless; new technologies are
developed daily. FIGURE 1-3: Mass production of medication, 1944.
(From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division, Washington, D.C.
Purposes of medication
Curative: Some drugs cure problems, as in diuretics, which help the body rid itself of
excess fluid.
Prophylactic: These drugs prevent problems, as in antibiotics given before surgery to
prevent infection
Diagnostic: Some drugs help diagnose a disease, such as barium that patients swallow to
help highlight digestive problems on a radiograph.
Palliative: Other drugs, such as pain relievers, do not cure disease, but they make patients
more comfortable.
Replacement drugs: These drugs “replace” missing substances. Levothyroxine sodium
(Synthroid), for example, is a drug that replaces a missing thyroid hormone.
Destructive medications destroy tumors and microbes. Antineoplastic (anticancer) drugs
are an example of destructive, toxic drugs.
Source of drugs
1. Plants: such as digitalis, vincristine.
2. Human and animals: such as
epinephrine, insulin and
adrenocorticotropic hormone.
3. Minerals: as iron, iodine and zinc
4. Synthetic and chemical substance: as
sodium bicarbonate
The drugs can be classified on the basis of -
a) Chemical nature
b) Source
c) Target organ / Site of action
d) Mode of Action
e) Physical effects
A) BASED ON CHEMICAL NATURE B) BASED ON SOURCE
i) Inorganic Drugs i) Natural Source

Metals and their salts: Ferrous Sulphate, Plants: Morphine, Atropine,
Zinc Sulphate, Magnesium Sulphate
Digitoxin
Non-Metals: Includes Sulphur
Animals: Insulin
ii) Organic Drugs
Microorganism: Penicillin
Alkaloids: Atropine, Morphine
Glycosides: Digitoxin, Digoxin Mineral: Sodium chloride
Protein: Insulin, Oxytocin Esters, Amide, ii) Synthetic source
Alcohol, Glycerides.
E.g. Sulphonamides
C) CLASSIFICATION BASED ON TARGET ORGAN: D) CLASSIFICATION BASED ON MODE OF ACTION:
Drugs acting on CNS: Phenobarbitone Inhibitor of bacterial cell wall

Drugs acting on Respiratory system: synthesis: Penicillin
Bromhexine Inhibitor of bacterial synthesis:
Drugs acting on Cardio-vascular Tetracycline
System: Digitoxin, Digoxin Calcium channel blocker: Verapamil,
Drugs acting on Gastro-intestinal tract: Nifedipine
Sulphadimidine
Drugs actin on Urinary system:
Magnesium Sulphate
Drugs acting on reproductive system:
Oxytocin, Estrogen
e) Classification based on physical effects:
Emollients (substances that soften and moisturize the skin and decrease itching and
flaking) Lanolin, Vaseline
Caustics (substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action,
generally a strong corrosive alkali): Silver nitrates
Demulcents (substance that relieves irritation of the mucous membranes by forming a
protective film): Zinc oxide, Tannic Acid
Drug supply system
1)Ward – controlled system: This system is also called ‘ward-basket’ system which occurs where the ward
writes an order to pharmacy for all drugs it anticipates over a particular time period for two or three days.
The pharmacy then assembles the order and sends it to the ward without seeing the original in-patient
medication orders written by physician. Such systems are rarely seen in public hospitals with a pharmacy
department.
2)Pharmacy controlled imprest based system: This is the commonly used system. In such systems,
a defined range of drugs are available in each ward and is managed by pharmacy staff. Traditionally,
such systems have accounted for the distribution of 75 per cent to 80 per cent of in-patient drugs, the
balance being supplied directly to the patient.
3)Pharmacy controlled patient issue system: The systems of this category are based on direct patient issue. In
this system, the drugs are issued to the patient rather than the ward and can be classed as unit dose systems. In
the unit-dose system is each dose is delivered by the pharmacy.
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Introduction to Pharmacology

By: Sayyed Nadar shah

Drug habituation: denotes a mild form of psychological dependence.

Pharmacognosy: The study of natural (plant

The age of biotechnology is characterized by the isolation, characterization and manufacture in

Pharmacological advances through the 19th and 20th centuries

either discovered or developed

Pharmacology in the 21st century The development of new

c) Target organ / Site of action

i) Inorganic Drugs i) Natural Source

Drugs acting on CNS: Phenobarbitone Inhibitor of bacterial cell wall

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