onset of action
Medical term Basic Pharmacology
The time from giving a drug until it begins to work.
Sources
- Pharmacology for Nurses, Chapter 2 Key Terms · OpenStax
Related terms
- indicationThe reason a drug is prescribed.
- laxativeA medicine that promotes bowel movements to relieve constipation.
- metric systemA decimal measuring system based on units of 10, such as grams, liters and meters.
- ointmentA greasy semisolid medication applied to the skin.
- opioidA class of strong pain-relieving drugs derived from opium, which comes from the poppy plant.
- parenteralA route that bypasses the digestive tract, such as an injection.
- pharmacodynamicsWhat a drug does to the body: how it acts on receptors and organs to produce effects.
- pharmacokineticsWhat the body does to a drug: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.