How Drugs Work

Hugh McGavock

1. Getting a drug into the body: Absorption 2. Getting a drug to its site of action: Distribution 3. Inactivating drugs: Phase 1 drug metabolism 4. Phase 2 drug metabolism and methods of excretion 5. The concept of a drug's half-life (£1/2): An estimate of the rate of elimination of different drugs 6. Receptor function and intercellular signalling 7. The central role of receptors in drug action 8. Drugs that block enzymes: Understanding NSAID therapy in inflammation 9. The principal targets for drug action 10. Calcium ion for the prescriber Drugs and the Central Nervous System 11. Introduction to drugs in the central nervous system 12. CNS drugs whose action is (a) understood, (b) unknown/speculative 13. The actions of CNS drugs used to treat anxiety, insomnia and life-threatening status epilepticus 14. Drugs used to treat Parkinsonism 15. Pain and analgesics 16. How anti-emetic drugs work 17. Antipsychotic drugs 18. Antidepressant drugs 19. Anti-epileptic drugs 20. Drugs of abuse: Hallucinogens and CNS stimulants 21. Alzheimer's disease Drug Topics of Special Importance 22. How the many antidiabetic drugs work 23. Treating severe chronic inflammation 24. The scientific basis of prescribing for the elderly 25. Antibacterial action and bacterial resistance 26. How to prevent adverse drug interactions - ADIs 27. How to predict and avoid adverse drug reactions to single drugs -ADRs 28. Why consider a practice formulary? 29. Getting new drugs to market: Licensing medicines for human 30. The problem of patients' noncompliance with their medication - 'non-concordance'