Pharmacology Introduction Lecture Notes

Overview

• Restarting pharmacology as per the PCI syllabus.
• Previous lectures available in Hindi on the main channel, Solution Pharmacy.

Definition of Pharmacology

• Pharmacology: Science of drugs, studying their effects on the body and vice versa.
  • Drug: A chemical agent used for diagnosis, prevention, or treatment.
  • Derived from Latin "draw" (meaning dry herb).
  • Difference between drug (crude form) and medicine (formulated dosage).

Importance of Studying Pharmacology

• Understanding drug effects (both desirable and undesirable).
• Knowledge of drug interactions with the body.

Applications of Drugs

1. Treatment: E.g., antipyretics like paracetamol for fever.
2. Prevention: Vaccines to prevent diseases (e.g., polio, chickenpox).
3. Diagnosis: Processes like x-ray and sonography to confirm diseases or disorders.
   • Disease: Condition caused by foreign pathogenic organisms.
   • Disorder: Disturbance in normal body function (e.g., hypertension).

Divisions of Pharmacology

• Pharmacodynamics: What drugs do to the body.
  • Includes desirable and undesirable effects of drugs.
• Pharmacokinetics: What the body does to drugs.
  • ADME process: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion.

Pharmacodynamics

• Focus on drug effects on the body (e.g., fever reduction).
• Desirable effects vs. undesirable effects (side effects, toxicity).

Pharmacokinetics

• Absorption: Drug movement from administration site to bloodstream.
• Distribution: Circulation of the drug throughout the body.
• Metabolism: Transformation of drug into active/inactive forms.
• Excretion: Removal of drugs from the body (via urine, feces, etc.).

Advanced Topics in Pharmacology

1. Pharmacotherapeutics: Clinical application of pharmacology to treat patients.
2. Toxicology: Study of poisons; managing and treating poison exposure.
3. Chemotherapy: Effects of drugs on microorganisms and cancer cells.
4. Clinical Pharmacology: Study of drug effects in humans; includes clinical trials.
5. Pharmacoepidemiology: Study of drug effects on populations.
6. Pharmacogenomics: Application of genomic technology in drug discovery.
7. Pharmacognosy: Study of drugs from plant and animal sources.
8. Pharmacogenetics: Study of genetic variation affecting drug responses.

Conclusion

• Reference materials: K.D. Tripathi latest edition and P. Jagdish Prasad.
• Additional resources such as MCQ tests available in the description box.
• Emphasis on sharing knowledge rather than selling.

Note: The above notes summarize the key points and concepts discussed in the lecture on pharmacology.