Pharmacy

Michael Lavoie6/18/12Middlesex Community CollegeVeterinary Assistant Program

Types of Drugs

Chemical NameProvides scientific and technical information Is a precise description of the substance

Geriatric (nonproprietary) name:Official identifying name of the drugDescribes the active drug (i.e. famotidine)Written using lowercase letters

Types of Drugs

Brand (trade, proprietary) name: Establishes legal proprietary recognition for the

corporation that developed the drug Is registered with the U.S. patent office and is used

only by the company that has registered the drugs Is written in capital letters or begins with a capital

letter and has a superscript R by its name Example: Pepcid AC

Sources of Drug Information

Package insert Provided with drugs to reach regulatory requirements

Registered trade name, generic name, controlled substance notation if warranted

Description or composition statement Clinical pharmacology, actions or mode of action Contradictions Warnings Adverse reactions or side effects Overdosage information Dosage administration Storage How supplied

Sources of Drug Information

Drug ReferencesBound book of information on package inserts

Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR): human approved drugs

Veterinary Pharmaceuticals and Biologicals (VPB) Compendium of Veterinary Products (CVP)

Expiration Dates

Expiration dates is the date before which a drug meets all specifications and which the drug can no longer be used

Expiration dates are assigned based on the stability of or experience with the drug

Expiration dates with drugs that are mixed at the clinic may vary depending on the reconstitution and refrigeration status of the drug

Drugs used in the Veterinary Clinic

Veterinary drugs are those approved only for use in animals

Human drugs are approved by the FDA and guidelines for their use in food-producing animals is provided in the Compliance Policy Guide

A veterinary/client/patient relationship must be established before any medication is prescribed for an animal

System of Measurement in the Veterinary Field House hold system: Lacks stardardization;

not accurate for measuring medicine. Metric system: developed in the 18th

century to standardize measurement for European countriesPrefixes denote increases or decreases in

size of unit Apothecary system: system of liquid units

of measure used chiefly by pharmacists

Metric System

Units are based on factors of 10 Base units are meter (length), liter

(volume), and grams (weight) Prefixes commonly used:

Micro= one millionth of a unit= 0.000001Milli-= one thousandth of a unit= 0.001Centi-= one hundredth of unit= 0.01Kilo-= one thousand units= 1,000

Conversion

Move decimal point appropriate direction based on units

Examples: -kg to g= move decimal point 3 places to the right - g to kg= move decimal point 3 places to the left l to ml= move decimal point 3 places to the right ml to l= move decimal point 3 places to the left

Remember…

When converting from larger units to smaller units the quantity gets larger

When converting from smaller units to larger units the quantity gets smaller

Temperature Conversions

In the Fahrenheit system, water freezes at 32 degrees: water boils at 212 degrees

In the Celsius system, water freezes at 0 degrees; and water boils at 100 degrees

ComparisonC= F - 32/1.8F=1.8C + 32

Dose Calculations

Must know the correct amount of drug to administer to a patient

Must be in a system of measurement Weight conversion factor: 2.2 lbs = 1 kg Remember that drugs can be measured in

mcg, mg, g, ml, l, units Remember that drugs can be dispensed or

administered in tablets, ml, l and capsules.

Skin anatomy and physiology

The skin is made up of three layers:Epidermis: (the most superficial layer that

contains cells but not blood vesselsDermis: middle layer that is composed of

blood and lymph tissues, nerve tissues, and accessory organs of skin such as glands and hair follicles

Subcutaneous: deepest layer that is composed of connective tissue

Drugs Used for Treating Skin Disorders Topical treatments consist of agents

applied to the surface; they affect the area in which they are applied

Systematic treatments consist of drugs that are given systematically that affect many areas of the body

Drugs Used in Treating Pruritus

Topical antipruritics provide moderate relief of itching (may be used with systemic medication) Topical nonsteroidal antipruritics

Local anesthetics such as lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, and pramoxine

Soothing agents Oatmeal has soothing and anti-inflammatory effects

Antihistamines Products containing diphenhydramine calm pain and itching due to

allergic reactions and sensitive skin Topical corticosteroids

Variety of products such as hydrocortisone

Drugs Used in Treating Seborrhea

Seborrhea is characterized by abnormal flaking or scaling of the epidermis and may be accompanied by increased oil production (seborrhea oleasa) or not (seborrhea sicca)

Keratolytics are an important group of antiseborrheics Keratolytics remove excess keratin and promote

loosening of the outer layers of the epidermis Keratolytics break down the protein structure of the

keratin layer, permitting easier removal of this material

Other Agents Used toTreat Skin Disorders Astringents are agents that constrict

tissues Antiseptics are substances that kill or

inhibit the growth of microbes on living tissue

Soaks and dressings are substances applied to areas to draw out fluid or relieve itching

Ophthalmic Drugs

Things to consider when using topical ophthalmic drugsThey must be absorbed into the anterior

chamberThey may be administered at different

frequencies depending on whether they are in ointment or solution form

They must be relatively easy to administer so that client compliance occurs

Otic Medications

Many drug combinations are used in veterinary medicine to treat ear disease, including: Antibiotics Antiparasitics Antifungals Corticosteroids (in combination with anti-infectives) Otic drying agents Otic cleansing agents Otic dewaxing agents

Inflammatory drugs

Inflammation is a useful and normal process that consists of a series of events, including vascular changes and release of chemicals that help destroy harmful agents at the injury site and repair damaged tissue Vasodilation increases permeability of blood vessels in the early

phase Accumulation of leukocytes, reduced blood flow, chemical

release (histamine, prostaglandin, and bradykinin) and tissue damage in cellular phase

Severe inflammation must be reduced to avoid additional damage to the body

Antibiotics

An antimicrobial is a chemical substance that has the capacity, in diluted solutions, to kill (biocidal activity) or inhibit the growth (biostatic activity) of microbes

The goal of antimicrobial treatment is to render the microbe helpless (either by killing them or inhibiting their replication) and not to hurt the animal being treated

Antimicrobials can be classified as: Antibiotics Antifungals Antivirals Antiprotozoals Antiparasitics

Antibiotics

Antibiotics work only on bacteria and are described by their spectrum of action (range of bacteria for which the agent is effective) Narrow-spectrum antibiotics work only on either gram-positive or

gram-negative bacteria (not both) Broad-spectrum antibiotics work on both gram-positive and

gram-negative bacteria (but not necessarily all) Antibiotics can be classified as bactericidal or

bacteriostatic Bactericidals kill the bacteria Bacteriostatics inhibit the growth or replication of bacteria

Considerations When Using Antibiotics Antibiotic resistance

Means that the bacteria survive and continue to multiply after administration of the antibiotic

Occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of the agent used to cure or prevent the infection

Can develop through bacterial mutation, bacteria acquiring genes that code for resistance, or other means

Behavior Modification Drugs

The use of drugs to treat problem behaviors is only a small part of treating animal behavior problems Must correctly diagnose the condition, examine the

social conditions, and alter external stimuli Potential side effects of long-term use

Liver, kidney, and cardiovascular problems Used extra-label

Must have veterinarian/client/patient relationship

Classes of Behavior-Modifying Drugs

Anti-anxiety drugs: Attempt to decrease anxiety Examples include diphenhydramine and hydroxzine

Antidepressants: are used to treat various mood changing disorders (such as aggression), and cognitive dysfunction in animals

Prozac, etc. Hormones: Progestrins and estrogens have calming

effects due to their suppression of male-like behaviors

Herbal Medicines

Alternative medicine refers to treatments or therapies that are outside accepted conventional medicine

Complementary medicine refers to the use of alternative therapies with or in addition to conventional treatment

Types of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Veterinary acupuncture and acutherapy Examination and stimulation of body points by use of acupuncture

needles, injections, and other techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions

Veterinary chiropractic Examination, diagnosis, and treatment of animals through

manipulation and adjustments Veterinary physical therapy

Use of noninvasive techniques for rehabilitation Veterinary homeopathy

Treatment by administration of substances that are capable of producing clinical signs in healthy animals

Types of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Veterinary botanical medicine

Uses plants and plant derivatives as therapeutic agents

Nutraceutical medicine Uses micronutrients, macronutrients, and other

nutritional supplements as therapeutic agents Holistic veterinary medicine

Comprehensive approach to health care using both alternative and conventional diagnostic techniques and therapeutic approaches

General Guidelines for Herbs

Ask all clients whether they give herbs or other supplements to their animals

Inform clients that herb-drug interactions exist Encourage the use of standardized products from respected

manufacturers Use herbal therapies in recommended doses Avoid herbs with known toxicities Do not use herbs in pregnant or nursing animals, the very

young, or the very old Accurate diagnosis of the animal’s condition is essential to

evaluate all therapeutic options Document all herb or supplement use in the animal’s medical

record