Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine & Health

Pharmacology Fundamentals

Pharmacokinetics: What the Body Does to the Drug

Phases:

1. Absorption – How a drug enters the bloodstream

2. Distribution – How a drug travels through the body

3. Metabolism – How a drug is broken down (mainly in the liver)

4. Excretion – How a drug leaves the body (mainly through the kidneys)

🧠 Memory Trick: ADME — Absorb, Deliver, Metabolize, Exit

Pharmacodynamics: What the Drug Does to the Body

• Describes how a drug works at the target site

• Involves receptor binding, enzyme interactions, and therapeutic vs. side effects

Examples:

• Beta blockers bind to beta receptors → slow heart rate

• Insulin binds to insulin receptors → lowers blood sugar

Drug Release Types: ER, IR, SR, XL, CR

Anti-Motility Medications (Pharmacy Only)

These medications work by relaxing the smooth muscles in the intestinal wall, reducing bowel movements.

Loperamide + Co-phenotrope (Dhamotil)

Loperamide

• Indication: Symptomatic relief of acute or chronic diarrhea.
• Dose: Maximum 16mg daily. Limit use to less than 48 hours.
• Side Effects: Constipation, nausea, vomiting, bloating.
• Special Precautions (SPC):
  • Stop taking once diarrhea resolves (constipation may occur).
  • Take with food.

Co-phenotrope

• Indication: Acute diarrhea in adults.
• Dose: Maximum 8 tablets daily.
• Contraindications: Not for children under 12 years old.
• Special Precautions (SPC): May cause dizziness and drowsiness; do not drive or operate machinery.

Adsorbent Medications (General Sales List)

Adsorbents... Continue reading "Effective Diarrhea Relief: Medications and Management" »

Common Medical Abbreviations

• RSI: Repetitive Stress Injury
• SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder
• SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• GP: General Practitioner
• HAV: Hepatitis A Virus
• MD: Medical Doctor

Medications and Treatments

• Decongestant: Decreases nasal stuffiness and relieves a runny nose.
• Anticoagulant: Prevents or delays blood clotting.
• Sedative: Relieves symptoms of stress, irritability, or excitement.
• Laxative: Relieves constipation.
• Digitalis: Strengthens the failing heart.
• Diuretic: Removes excess fluid from the body.
• Antibiotic: Treats infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms.
• Insulin: Regulates the level of sugar in the blood, used to treat diabetes.

Common Symptoms and Their Causes

• Fainting, dizziness: Anemia
• Headache: Sinus infection
• Fever:

Parkinson's Disease: Pharmacological Treatments

The primary pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease focuses on replenishing dopamine, the neurotransmitter deficient in the disease, and managing associated symptoms. Levodopa, often combined with carbidopa, is the cornerstone of treatment, alongside dopamine agonists, MAO-B inhibitors, COMT inhibitors, and anticholinergic agents.

Key Medications for Parkinson's Disease

1. Levodopa

   Levodopa is a dopamine precursor that can cross the blood-brain barrier and is converted into dopamine in the brain.

   It is typically combined with carbidopa, which inhibits the breakdown of levodopa before it reaches the brain, reducing side effects and improving efficacy.

   Levodopa is effective in improving motor symptoms

Vocabulary

• Being admired by the people around you
• Being part of a loving family
• Doing really well in your studies or work
• Having enough money to live well
• Having friends
• Having a lot of time to spend on the things I love doing
• Living in a nice neighborhood

Achieve, Carry Out, and Devote

• Achieve: *conseguir/lograr* (It helped her to achieve her aim of improving her family's happiness)
• Carry out: *llevar a cabo* (Susan's concerns prompted her to carry out her own research)
• Devote: *dedicar* (We know devoting more time...)

Stay, Spend, and Pass

• Stay: *permanecer, estar tiempo* (I stayed 2 hours listening to the radio)
• Spend: *pasar/gastar* (I have spent my life studying)
• Pass: *pasar tiempo*

Make, Cause, and Have

• Make: *hizo que* (The bad sound made the film difficult

Here's a list of common English words and their meanings:

1. Want: Desire something.
2. Soar: Rise high.
3. Wail: Cry loudly.
4. Fell: Knock down or drop.
5. Get into: Become involved.
6. Spring: Jump or the season.
7. Own: Possess something.
8. Wore: Past of "wear", dressed.
9. Ride: Travel or sit on.
10. Smiled: Past of "smile", grinned.
11. Flow: Move smoothly. (Corrected from "Fow")
12. Slowly: At a slow pace.
13. Robbery: Theft.
14. Flat: Level surface or an apartment.
15. Fridge: Refrigerator.
16. Disagree: Differ in opinion.
17. Fed: Past of "feed", gave food.
18. Forward: Toward the front.
19. Will: Intent or future tense.
20. Weight: Mass or heaviness.
21. Behind: At the back of.
22. Hurt: Cause pain or injury.
23. Copula: A linking verb (Corrected from "Copboola")
24. Brushed: Past of "brush", swept or touched lightly.
25. Taste: Flavor or sample.

Common Medical Conditions

Asthma

Children with asthma cough and wheeze when they breathe out. They become very short of breath when an attack occurs.

A Cold

Sometimes a child has a cough and a fever with a cold. A bad cough can make a child vomit.

Croup

Children under three years old sometimes experience croup. They have a sore throat and they wheeze when they breathe in. When they cough, it often sounds like a dog barking.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia symptoms include a temperature over 102ºF (39ºC), rapid breathing, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, and occasionally coughing up blood.

Essential Medical Terminology

• Central Nervous System
• Coma
• Abnormalities
• Cardiovascular System
• Respiratory System
• Blood Pressure
• Dangerous Conditions
• Gastrointestinal System
• Intestines
• Abdominal

Tongue

Pharmacovigilance Defined

Pharmacovigilance is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine/vaccine-related problem.

Clinical Pharmacy Explained

Clinical pharmacy is a branch of pharmacy that involves the provision of patient care with the use of medications to optimize the health outcomes of patients.

PTC Full Form in Pharmacy

PTC stands for the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

Pharmacy Inventory Control Techniques

There are three primary methods used in pharmacy to manage inventory:

• The visual method
• The periodic method
• The perpetual method

Composition of Universal Antidote

The universal antidote is composed of:

• Zinc or magnesium oxide
• Tannic acid
• Charcoal

Activated

Essential English Vocabulary for Health & Fitness

Expand your English vocabulary with these key terms related to health, fitness, and everyday situations. Each word includes its Spanish translation and a clear English definition.

1. Avoid

• Evitar
• To stay away from something.

2. Break Up

• Terminar (una relación)
• To end a romantic relationship.

3. Catch a Cold

• Resfriarse
• To become sick with a cold.

4. Chase

• Perseguir
• To run after something or someone.

5. Come Down With

• Caer enfermo de
• To get an illness.

6. Cut Down On

• Reducir
• To use or do less of something.

7. Deal With

• Lidiar con
• To handle a problem or situation.

8. Disease

• Enfermedad
• An illness that affects the body.

9. Enable

• Permitir
• To make something possible.

10. Endurance

• Resistencia
• The ability to keep going without