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CHAPTER 1 An Inside Look at Pharmacology
Just the mention of drugs causes all sorts of images to run through our mind: the
magic pill that made you feel better when you were under the weather; the sting-
ing injection that left your arm sore for days; the handful of capsules that cost a
month’s pay; and even the vision of furtive street-corner exchanges.
These impressions are from our experiences as patients or consumers.
Healthcare providers, however, view drugs differently because drugs are an
integral component of the arsenal used to combat the diseases and physiological
changes that disrupt activities of daily living.
A drug is more than a pill. It is a compound of chemical elements that inter-
acts with the body’s chemistry causing a chain reaction of events. Drugs are
given to achieve a therapeutic effect. However, most drugs also have side
effects. Some side affects are desirable and some are not. Healthcare
providers must have a thorough understanding of a drug’s action in order to
effectively prescribe and administer the drug and evaluate the patient’s
response to the medication.
Throughout this book you’ll learn about drugs: how they work; their thera-
peutic effects; their adverse effects; their interactions with other drugs; how theyCopyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use.