What does pharmacokinetics study?

Pharmacokinetics specifically focuses on the movement of drugs within the body and encompasses the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. By understanding pharmacokinetics, healthcare professionals can determine how a drug is processed over time, which informs dosing schedules, potential interactions, and therapeutic effects as well as side effects.

For instance, knowing how quickly a drug is absorbed can help predict how soon a patient will feel relief from symptoms, while understanding how a drug is metabolized informs clinicians about how long the drug will remain effective before it needs to be replaced or adjusted. This study is fundamental in the field of pharmacology and is critical for ensuring patient safety and efficacy in medication administration, which is an essential aspect of AMAP practices.