Pharmacology: Treatment, Effects & Risks

The field of pharmacology researches the effects of drugs, deals with the development of new drugs and their application and effect on the human organism, which are previously tested in animal experiments and, in approved cases, on human subjects.

What is pharmacology?

The field of pharmacology researches the effects of drugs, deals with the development of new drugs and their application and effect on the human organism. The word composition goes back to the Greek language “pharmakos” = medicine, drug and “logos” = teaching. In the majority of cases, these are chemical foreign substances, but the body’s own pharmaceuticals can also be used. Once the test runs are completed, pharmacologists deal with the therapeutic benefits and possible side effects as well as supportive prevention, treatment of the sick and consultation in the field of therapeutic, substance-based and diagnostic measures. Pharmacology is divided into three subfields: Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacogenetics. In specialized clinics and institutes, physicians have the opportunity to train to become specialists in pharmacology.

Emphasis

Pharmacokinetics deals with the influence of the organism on the substance supplied. Pharmacodynamics explores the opposite direction, the influence of the administered substance on the organism. Pharmacogenetics tries to find answers to how the different genetic makeup of patients influences the effect of drugs. Pharmacology studies the interactions between organisms and exogenous substances. Endogenous substances can also be used as pharmaceuticals if their concentration exceeds the regular physiological level. Approximately 30,000 known diseases can now be treated with pharmaceuticals. Therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines are available for the treatment of these diseases. Medical doctors, pharmacists, biologists and chemists use a large number of different methods in researching and creating mechanisms of action. The natural science disciplines of biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology and behavioral pharmacology are also included in this field. Phamacodynamics describes the effects of the administered drug substance on the human body. This process is also called pharmacological effect. The effect profiles of drug substances can be toxic, therapeutic or lethal. Toxicity stands for undesirable side effects on the organism, which can lead to discomfort, illness or even death. A drug has a therapeutic effect if it successfully cures a disease or at least improves a disease state. Even a drug that is usually not toxic can be fatal, depending on the dose and use. If a cardiac patient is given too high a dose of digitalis, death is possible. Insulin administration can have fatal consequences for non-diabetic patients. The mechanisms of action are always dependent on the substances; they regularly involve receptors and effectors. Pharmaceuticals (effectors) interact with certain receptors in the organism, causing pharmacological effects and certain changes. The mechanism of action depends on the way the drugs are taken. The drug must reach the diseased tissue or organ at the appropriate dose. Drugs can be administered intravenously, orally, or rectally. Another factor that affects pharmacodynamics is the distribution of the drug in the organism. It depends on organ size, solubility and blood supply. At the end of this process, the drug is metabolized. Often the toxic content of the substance increases. The effect of pharmaceuticals on the human body is of limited duration. It depends on the dose, time of intake, age and medical history. Depending on how fast metabolization occurs, pharmaceuticals are eliminated and excreted.

Methods

The fundamentals of pharmacology are expertise in toxicological, pharmacological, experimental, and clinical development and application. Pharmacologists recognize undesirable side effects of the corresponding drugs and know how to properly apply the reporting system and drug law.They are trained in risk management and are able to communicate the use of harmful and active substances accordingly. They advise and support physicians in the field of prevention and treatment of patients and communicate the diagnostic and therapeutic benefits of the applied pharmaceuticals, including clinical toxicology. Other areas of expertise include biometrics, biomathematics, applications research, and drug epidemiology. Expertise in pharmaco- and toxicokinetics, toxidynamics of relevant harmful and active substances as well as basics of chemical, biochemical, microbiological, immunological, physical, physiological and molecular biological detection and working methods complete the profile of pharmacologists. They need to know the legal requirements for development, approval procedures and handling of pharmaceuticals. They know how to design and carry out experiments and how to evaluate existing studies. They are guided by the ethical principles for conducting them on animals and humans. The physicians analyze and evaluate toxicological effects on the human organism including medical poisons and the appropriate antidotes (antidotes). Physicians are familiar with the theoretical basis of experimental research regarding desirable effects or undesirable side effects of foreign substances and drugs. The field of pharmacology also includes biological standardization and testing procedures, as well as regular measurement methods and examination procedures. The subfield of toxicology deals with chemical-analytical procedures of molecular, cellular and electrophysiological processes. It generates diseases in the experimental field and then investigates their behavior under the influence of drug substances and foreign substances. Subsequently, this experimental process is evaluated and recorded. This is done by chemical, biochemical, immunological, microbiological, physical, molecular biological and physiological methods. Pharmacologists use in vitro methods to study the effects of drug substances and xenobiotics on isolated cell cultures, organs, and subcellular response systems. They are knowledgeable in behavioral pharmacological investigation techniques and the principles of histological and morphological processes. Pharmacology uses common analytical and isolation methods to quantify and identify drugs, xenobiotics, and their metabolites in environmental media and body fluids. Pharmacologists participate in experimental pharmacological-toxicological studies involving experiments in molecular biology, integrative physiology, biochemistry, and drug evaluation. They evaluate experimental and analytical data and deal with the theoretical foundations of biostatistics, bioinformatics, and biometrics.