Drug. I INTRODUCTION Drug, substance that affects the function of living cells, used
Publié le 11/05/2013
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normalizing chemical activity in the emotional centers of the brain.
Antianxiety drugs, also referred to as tranquilizers, treat anxiety by decreasing the activity in theanxiety centers of the brain.
Sedative-hypnotic drugs are used both as sedatives to reduce anxiety and as hypnotics to induce sleep.
Sedative-hypnotic drugs act by reducing brain-cell activity.Stimulant drugs, on the other hand, increase neuronal (nerve cell) activity and reduce fatigue and appetite.
Analgesic drugs reduce pain and are generally categorized as narcotics and non-narcotics.
Narcotic analgesics, also known as opioids, include opium and the naturalopium derivatives codeine and morphine; synthetic derivatives of morphine, such as heroin (the use of which is illegal in the United States); and synthetic drugs such asmeperidine and propoxyphene hydrochloride.
Narcotics relieve pain by acting on specific structures, called receptors, located on the nerve cells of the spinal cord orbrain.
Non-narcotic analgesics such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen reduce pain by inhibiting the formation of nerve impulses at the site of pain.
Some ofthese drugs can also reduce fever and inflammation.
General anesthetics, used for surgery or painful procedures, depress brain activity, causing a loss of sensation throughout the body and unconsciousness.
Localanesthetics are directly applied to or injected in a specific area of the body, causing a loss of sensation without unconsciousness; they prevent nerves from transmittingimpulses signaling pain ( see Anesthesia).
F Anticancer Drugs
Anticancer drugs eliminate some cancers or reduce rapid growth and spread.
These drugs do not affect all cancers but are specific for cancers in certain tissues ororgans such as the bladder, brain, liver, or bones.
Anticancer drugs interfere with specific cancer-cell components.
For example, alkylating agents are cytotoxic (cell-poisoning) drugs that alter the DNA of cancer cells.
Vinca alkaloids, chemicals produced by the periwinkle plant, prevent cancer cell division.
G Other Drugs
Many other categories of drugs also exist, such as anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiParkinson ( see Parkinson Disease), antiworm ( see Anthelmintic Drugs), diuretic, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and muscle-relaxant drugs.
Often a drug in one category can also be used for problems in other categories.
For example, lidocaine can beused as a local anesthetic or as a cardiac drug.
III HOW DRUGS MOVE THROUGH THE BODY
The effect of a drug on the body depends on a number of processes that the drug undergoes as it moves through the body.
All these processes together are known aspharmacokinetics (literally, “motion of the drug”).
First in these processes is the administration of the drug after which it must be absorbed into the bloodstream.
From the bloodstream, the drug is distributed throughout the body to various tissues and organs.
As the drug is metabolized, or broken down and used by the body, it goesthrough chemical changes that produce metabolites, or altered forms of the drug, most of which have no effect on the body.
Finally, the drug and its metabolites areeliminated from the body.
A Administration
Depending on the drug and its desired effect, there are a variety of administration methods.
Most drugs are administered orally—that is, through the mouth.
Only drugsthat will not be destroyed by the digestive processes of the stomach or intestines can be given orally.
Drugs can also be administered by injection into a vein(intravenously), which assures quick distribution through the bloodstream and a rapid effect; under the skin (subcutaneously) into the tissues, which results in localizedaction at a particular site as with local anesthetics; or into a muscle (intramuscularly), which enables rapid absorption through the many blood vessels found in muscles.An intramuscular injection may also be given as a depot preparation , in which the drug is combined with other substances so that it is slowly released into the blood.
Inhaled drugs are designed to act in the nose or lungs.
General anesthetics may be given through inhalation.
Some drugs are administered through drug-filled patchesthat stick to the skin.
The drug is slowly released from the patch and enters the body through the skin.
Drugs may be administered topically—that is, applied directly tothe skin; or rectally—absorbed through an enema (an injection of liquid into the rectum) or a rectal suppository (a pellet of medication that melts when inserted in therectum).
B Absorption
Absorption is the transfer of a drug from its site of administration to the bloodstream.
Drugs that are inhaled or injected enter the bloodstream more quickly than drugstaken orally.
Oral drugs are absorbed by the stomach or small intestine and then passed through the liver before entering the bloodstream.
C Distribution
Distribution is the transport of a drug from the bloodstream to tissue sites where it will be effective, as well as to sites where the drug may be stored, metabolized, oreliminated from the body.
Once a drug reaches its intended destination, the drug molecules move from blood through cellular barriers to various tissues.
These barriersinclude the walls of blood vessels, the walls of the intestines, the walls of the kidneys, and the special barrier between the brain and the bloodstream that acts as afiltration system to protect the brain from exposure to potentially harmful substances.
The drug molecules move from an area of high drug concentration—the bloodstream—to an area of low drug concentration—the tissues—until a balance between thetwo areas is reached.
This process is known as diffusion.
When a drug reaches its highest concentration in the tissues, the body begins to eliminate the drug and itseffect on the body begins to diminish.
The time it takes for the level of a drug to fall by 50 percent is known as the drug’s half-life.
Depending on the drug, thismeasurement can vary from a few minutes to hours or even days.
For example, if a drug’s highest concentration level in the blood is 1 mg/ml and this level falls to 0.5mg/ml after five hours, the half-life of the drug is five hours.
A drug’s half-life is used to determine frequency of dosage and the amount of drug administered.
Distribution of a drug may be delayed by the binding of the drug to proteins in the blood.
Because the proteins are too large to pass through blood vessel walls, thedrug remains in the blood for a longer period until it is eventually released from the proteins.
While this process may increase the amount of time the drug is active inthe body, it may decrease the amount of the drug available to the tissues.
D Metabolism and Elimination
While circulating through the body, a drug undergoes chemical changes as it is broken down in a process called metabolism, or biotransformation.
Most of thesechanges occur in the liver, but they can take place in other tissues as well.
Various enzymes oxidize (add oxygen to), reduce (remove oxygen from), or hydrolyze (add.
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