Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Pharmacotherapeutics
The study of how drugs are used in the prevention and treatment of disease.
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Pharmacologic dose
An amount of drug given that is much greater than the amount of a similar substance produced within the body; this increased dosage is used to exaggerate the beneficial effects normally provided by the endogenous compound.
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Ototoxicity
The harmful side effect of some drugs and toxins influencing the hearing and balance functions of the ear. Damage to tissues of the inner ear caused by medications or chemicals, resulting in disturbances in hearing and balance. Affected tissues can include the cochlea, the cochlea’s hair cells (sensory cells that transform sound waves into nerve…
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Maximal efficacy
The maximum response a drug can produce; the point at which the response does not increase even if dosage continues to increase.
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Lockout interval
The minimum amount of time that must expire between each dose of medication that is administered by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). The PCA pump is inactivated during the lockout interval so that the patient cannot self-administer excessive amounts of drugs. In patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), the number of minutes a patient must wait between demanded doses of…
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Down-regulation
A prolonged decrease in the number and/or sensitivity of drug receptors, usually occurring as a compensatory response to overstimulation of the receptor.
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Dopa decarboxylase
The enzyme that converts dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) into dopamine.
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Demand dose
Amount of drug administered when a patient activates certain drug delivery systems such as those used during patient-controlled analgesia.
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Bipolar syndrome
A psychologic disorder characterized by mood swings from excitable (manic) periods to periods of depression.
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Antipyresis
To reduce fever. Drugs with this ability are known as antipyretics.
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