41
votes
Accepted
Why is thalidomide a current drug on the market?
Because leprosy and multiple myeloma are conditions for which other treatment options are limited.
All treatments have side effects, some more debilitating than others. The trick with pharmacology is ...
- 526
9
votes
Accepted
What effect does long-term caffeine use have on memory?
There are actually quite a lot of studies pointing in all directions when it comes to memory and caffeine use. I wouldn't call it a closed case by any standard, although many sites hawk caffeine as a ...
- 1,848
7
votes
Accepted
Where does Ibuprofen inhibit COX-1, and what is its MoA?
I'm not clear why you're asking this as this information is readily available unless I missed something in your question.
As for anticoagulant activity, my recollection is that if anything Ibuprofen ...
- 13.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to drink Monster Energy (or any energy drink) after paracetamol?
The question appears to be motivated by headlines similar to this
Mixing large doses of both acetaminophen painkiller and caffeine may increase risk of liver damage
where it states
WASHINGTON, Sept. ...
- 13.2k
6
votes
Accepted
"Mechanism of Action" (MOA) of medical drugs
Mechanism of Action (MOA) refers to the effects of a drug on a molecular level (receptors, chemical reactions) and Mode of Action (MoA) to the effects on a functional or tissue level, which are more ...
- 15.8k
6
votes
Urine analysis, the baking soda myth
Let us start by saying that it is not recommended to use home-made remedies off of some internet website, as the information may be inaccurate and misleading. You should always consult with a ...
- 1,618
4
votes
Accepted
Why some people experience no side effects from a drug?
Most drugs have wanted (main) and unwanted (side) effects, but neither of them are guaranteed. For example, aspirin may or may not relieve your headache and may or may not upset your stomach.
The ...
- 15.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Why was desvenlafaxine created, when venlafaxine metabolizes into it?
As you have refereed these medications are very similar in the sense that both antidepressants present a similar mechanism of action, consisting of inhibition of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake. ...
- 473
3
votes
What does primary, secondary and safety outcome of a drug study mean?
The primary endpoint is the thing you design your study around. You choose a sample size based on a statistical power analysis, making sure you have enough participants that you will be able to detect ...
- 13.3k
3
votes
what is the advantages (for patients) in delayed and extended release drugs?
To understand the advantages of Extended Release (ER) and Delayed Release (DR) formulations, the primary differences between them should be highlighted. Taken from "A Clinician's Guide to Oral ...
- 1,618
3
votes
Is ethanol toxic to liver, in the absence of ethanol metabolites resulting from inhibiting alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH) enzyme?
Seems like you answered your own question. Lowering the threshold for intoxication lowers the threshold for toxicity. The likelihood of acute ethanol poisoning is increased by coadministering these ...
- 410
3
votes
Accepted
Caffeine clearance range/distribution and what determines it
There are many parameters to consider. The caffeine clearance is influenced by genetics, environmental factors, age, drug interactions, pregnancy, illnesses, day and time of day, habituation, what ...
- 6,867
3
votes
Accepted
Are vitamin C and desloratadine better absorbed when taken shortly after eating?
Desloratadin is slightly soluble in water and very soluble in ethanol. While that would often indicate an at least slightly better if time-delayed absorption with food, this is apparently not the case:...
- 6,867
3
votes
Accepted
Why isn't clorhexidine gluconate used among humans?
It is used among humans it's called:
Hibiclens, Dyna-Hex, Ezy-tm, and Exidine
As also stated by the user JohnP in a comment.
And it works for:
Cleaning the hands
Before surgery or injections
To ...
- 2,965
2
votes
Why some people experience no side effects from a drug?
One of the major things about heroin is that it is metabolized by the body as morphine and, if this person in the throes of heroin withdrawal were given medication like methadone, it couldn't be done ...
- 47
2
votes
Accepted
Risks of Caffeine Powder
Caffeine comes from coffee beans, but it can also be synthesized in a laboratory.
Caffeine has the same structure whether it’s in Coffee, Energy Drinks, Tea or pills/powder.
Caffeine dosages should be ...
- 1,094
2
votes
How long should I wait to drive after taking a painkiller?
Unfortunately, there are no direct instructions in regards to this.
"This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness until you are ...
- 630
2
votes
Can the immune system break down anything?
First of all, it's typically liver and the kidneys responsible for removing unwanted chemicals from the body, not the immune system. It should be noted that liver and kidneys have no "knowledge&...
- 310
2
votes
What properties of a topical medication determine what percent is systemically absorbed (bioavailability)?
I don't think that it is possible for anyone "at home" to calculate or otherwise accurately predict the absorption percent and therefore systemic effectiveness or side effect of a topically applied ...
- 15.8k
2
votes
What properties of a topical medication determine what percent is systemically absorbed (bioavailability)?
I would suggest the Noyes-Whitney equation:
dW\dt = DA(C_s - C)\L
wnere:
dW\dt is the rate of dissolution.
A is the surface area of the solid.
C is the concentration of the solid in the bulk ...
- 1,513
2
votes
How does ethanol get metabolised into 'metabolic energy'?
Each gram of ethanol provides
7 Calories of energy
(which isn't surprising given that fermenting 2 grams of sugar produces 1 gram of ethanol).
Overview: How Is Alcohol Metabolized by the Body? lists ...
- 611
2
votes
Does L-theanine increase caffeine's half-life?
The mechanism of action of L-Theanine is not quite well understood and at some degree recent studies find themselves in contradictory with the results, nevertheless I think the essencial is this
...
- 473
2
votes
Accepted
Why are some tablets Telmisartan, Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide bilayered and some are not?
There are good reasons why some drugs are bilayered. A company could decide to produce a bilayered drug formulation for the same drug if it's necessary to produce a formulation in which the drug in ...
- 186
1
vote
Accepted
Muscarinic receptors in bladder
According to this paper (full text freely available), "the somatic pudendal nerve stimulates striated muscle of the external urethral sphincter, mediated by ACh activating nicotinic (N) receptors&...
- 1,618
1
vote
Accepted
Dextroamphetamine vs Dextroamphetamine Salt Combo
In order to substitute lawfully, the 2 drugs must be bioequivalent and in the same dosage form. Therefore the 2 drugs not only must be chemically equivalent, but also therapeutically equivalent. In ...
- 34
1
vote
Accepted
Higher doses of a drug being less effective?
Drugs may have different actions at different concentrations.
So, for instance:
Buprenorphine is 25 to 100 times more potent than morphine.18 Buprenorphine exhibits partial agonist behavior at the ...
- 13.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible