Pharmacokinetics: Difference between revisions
David Canner (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
David Canner (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
===T<sub>max</sub>=== | ===T<sub>max</sub>=== | ||
How long after taking the drug does the drug hit its C<sub>max</sub>, typically measured in hours. It is a measure of how long you have to wait before the drug hits maximum effectiveness along with when you can expect short term side effects to reach their peak. | How long after taking the drug does the drug hit its C<sub>max</sub>, typically measured in hours. It is a measure of how long you have to wait before the drug hits maximum effectiveness along with when you can expect short term side effects to reach their peak. | ||
===Volume of Distribution (V<sub>d</sub>=== | |||
The volume in which a drug is distributed after it has been injected intravenously and has equilibrated between the blood plasma and surrounding tissues. Although this value has no literal physiological meaning, V<sub>d</sub> is indicative of the extent of distribution of the drug. In general, highly plasma protein bound drugs will have a small V<sub>d</sub> while those drugs that are bound within tissues will have a large V<sub>d</sub>. As a rough approximation: | |||
===Clearance (Cl)=== | ===Clearance (Cl)=== | ||
This is a measure of the volume of plasma cleared of the drug per unit of time. In other words, how much of your blood is rid of the drug per unit of time. | This is a measure of the volume of plasma cleared of the drug per unit of time. In other words, how much of your blood is rid of the drug per unit of time. | ||
===Area Under the Curve (AUC)=== | ===Area Under the Curve (AUC)=== | ||