Principles of Pharmacology

 

Pharmacology: The Science of Drug Action

Placebo effect

Box 1.1 Pharmacology in Action Naming Drugs

Pharmacokinetic Factors Determining Drug Action

Methods of drug administration influence the onset of drug action

Multiple factors modify drug absorption

Drug distribution is limited by selective barriers

Depot binding alters the magnitude and duration of drug action

Biotransformation and elimination of drugs contribute to bioavailability

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Box 1.2 Pharmacology in Action Interspecies Drug Dose Extrapolation

Pharmacodynamics: Drug–Receptor Interactions

Box 1.3 Pharmacology in Action Drug Categories

Extracellular and intracellular receptors have several common features

Dose–response curves describe receptor activity

The therapeutic index calculates drug safety

Receptor antagonists compete with agonists for binding sites

Biobehavioral Effects of Chronic Drug Use

Repeated drug exposure can cause tolerance

Chronic drug use can cause sensitization

Pharmacogenetics and Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry