Pharmacology Made Easy (PME) Module Notes

A. Intro a. Pharmacology: the study of drugs and their effect on the human body i. Therapeutic effects: positive effects drug has on the body ii. Side or Adverse Effects: negative effects the drug has on the body b. Learning Drugs i. Majority organized by Body System Categories 1. Easier to learn by category than each drug individually 1. Drugs in same category i. Usually act in a similar manner ii. Share many of the same characteristics iii. Therapeutic Effects iv. Side and Adverse Effects v. Contraindications and Precautions vi. Administration Considerations ii. Category Prototype 1. Drug providers most commonly prescribe 1. *STUDY*: Drug Administration Table for each category’s prototypical drug iii. Specific Drug Category Information 1. Pharmaceutics 2. Pharmacokinetics 3. Pharmacodynamics 4. Expected Pharmacologic 5. Expected Therapeutic Effects 6. Side and Adverse Effects 7. Contraindications 8. Precautions 9. Interactions iv. Special Drug Considerations 1. Drug-Drug and drug-food interactions 2. Tolerance 3. Cumulative Effect 4. Special Populations 1. Women who are pregnant 2. Infants and Children 3. Older Adults c. Patient Instructions i. Instructions you need to give your patients about the drugs their taking B. Generic vs Brand/Trade Name Drugs a. Generic Name i. Pharmaceutical company develops drug and give it official name ii. Not capitalized 1. E.g. acetaminophen 1. Brand/Trade name = Tylenol iii. Usually cheaper than Brand/Trade name drugs iv. Preferred by patients and insurance companies 1. Helps decrease cost of drugs b. Brand or Trade Name i. Drug’s commercial name 1. May vary according to the company producing and marketing it ii. Capitalized 1. E.g. Tylenol 1. Generic name = acetaminophen iii. Have the same chemical composition 1. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts studies to make sure that each new generic drug has the same therapeutic equivalence as the original brand name drug 1. Generic form hits market once USDA establishes this i. Generic drug is interchangeable with brand name drug with approval from patient’s provider C. Prescription vs Nonprescription