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The journey of the drug

When the drug is removed of the blister it begins a long journey to be completely degraded. The drug is swallowed together with water and this serves to disperse the granules compressed and solubilize them. Depending on the size of the granules is the rate at which it dissolves. Finally when is completely dissolved start a process very important and meaningful named absorption. If the entire drug was solubilized and absorbed we obtain a 100% of the drug in plasma but if it dissolved or absorbed least will exist fewer drug available in plasma.

Now we find with second process known as distribution. This process consists on how the blood drug is distributed to the tissues to produce the pharmacologic effect. Each drug has different properties that depend of her molecular structure, for examples some drugs are soluble in water known as hydrophilic drugs and also exists drugs are soluble in oil known as lipophilic drugs. For that pharmacological effect occurs the drug need interact with the cell receptor that is compatible. Therefore if we have an obese person and consume a lipophilic drug, this drug will be distributed in the fat (adipose tissue) and will be not distributed in the receptors tissues of the drug. Thus for those obese people should be increasing the dose of the drug, for increase the absorption and thus to increase percentage of drug distributed to the tissues for to produce pharmacological effect.

Parallel to this process occurs two more. Since the drug is distributed to the receptors tissues also is distributed to the liver in which is metabolized process term metabolization, however also is distributed to the kidneys in there occurs the last process denominated elimination. The metabolization consists in how the enzymes through of chemical reactions turn to the drugs in hydrophilic drugs for easy excretion through the urine. Here comes the concept of half-life, characteristic for each drug. The half-life is the time in which half of the drug in the blood is degraded. Therefore drug with less half-life should disappear en least time or vice versa. For example exists drugs that have a half-life of 6 hours. The blood drug is degraded a 99% when has passed 5 to 7 half-life, therefore if consume the previous drug (6 half-life) in 30 to 42 hour there will be not blood drug.

Thus the last process consist in the filtration the blood in which several substances are extracted, drugs including, producing the urine. In this way the journey of the drug terminates. All these processes are studied in detail by health professionals (ADME), process known as pharmacokinetics that is defined as what the body does to the drug.