Word parts
What it means
How a drug acts once it reaches its target: which receptors or enzymes it affects, what the effects are, and how the effect changes with the dose. It is paired with pharmacokineticsfar-muh-koh-kih-NET-iksHow the body takes in, spreads, changes and gets rid of a drug over time.pharmac/o drugkinet/o movement-ics the study ofFull entry , which is what the body does to the drug (absorbing, distributing, breaking down and getting rid of it).
Remember it
Dynamics is the drug's action on the body; kinetics is the body's motion of the drug.
At a glance
| Spanish | farmacodinámica |
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Easy to confuse with
pharmacokinetics
How the body takes in, spreads, changes and gets rid of a drug over time.
Related terms
side effect
An effect of a drug, other than the one it is given for, that is known and expected to happen in some people.
pharmacokinetics
How the body takes in, spreads, changes and gets rid of a drug over time.
half-life
The time it takes for the amount of a drug in the body to fall by half.