Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

by Derek G. Waller BSc, DM, MBBS, FRCP, Andrew W. Hitchings BSc, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, FFICM, FHEA, FBPhS

Overview

Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics provides all the information medical and healthcare students need throughout their degree programme and beyond, including for professional qualifications such as the PSA.

This all-round textbook covers basic pharmacology through to drug prescribing in clinical contexts, covering the pathogenic mechanisms of disease; drug actions, side effects, and the therapeutic principles of drug use. It takes a helpful systems-based approach that orders information according to body systems and disease areas, rather than by drug class.

Now in its sixth edition, the book has been fully updated to include latest scientific understanding of drug action and administration and current best practice in prescribing medications, informed by the latest national guidelines.

• A clinical focus throughout – suitable for medical, nursing and other healthcare students throughout their training
• Thorough update of clinically-relevant medicines to ensure best practice
• Information aligned with the British National Formulary (BNF), NICE guidelines and relevant professional benchmarks
• Comprehensive drug compendia allow all drugs to be identified and placed within their respective classes
• Extensive self-assessment questions to support learning and revision
• New to this edition Expanded discussion of the pathophysiology and management of shock
• Revised discussion of the management of chronic pain
• Consideration of treatment of Covid-19

• Expanded discussion of the pathophysiology and management of shock
• Revised discussion of the management of chronic pain
• Consideration of treatment of Covid-19

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780702081590
Publisher:	Elsevier Health Sciences
Publication date:	01/28/2022
Edition description:	6th ed.
Pages:	752
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.88(h) x (d)

About the Author

Derek G. Waller, BSc, DM, MBBS, FRCP, Consultant Cardiovascular Physician, Southampton General Hospital; Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Drug dosage and nomenclature ix

Section 1 General principles

1 Principles of pharmacology and mechanisms of drug action 3

2 Pharmacokinetics 31

3 Drug discovery, safety and efficacy 63

4 The nervous system, neurotransmission and the peripheral autonomic nervous system 71

Section 2 The cardiovascular system

5 Ischaemic heart disease 91

6 Systemic and pulmonary hypertension 111

7 Heart failure 133

8 Cardiac arrhythmias 145

9 Cerebrovascular disease and dementia 163

10 Peripheral vascular disease 171

11 Haemostasis 177

Section 3 The respiratory system

12 Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 195

13 Respiratory disorders: cough, respiratory stimulants, cystic fibrosis and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome 211

Section 4 The renal system

14 Diuretics 219

15 Disorders of micturition 231

16 Erectile dysfunction 239

Section 5 The nervous system

17 General anaesthetics 247

18 Local anaesthetics 257

19 Opioid analgesics and the management of pain 263

20 Anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics 277

21 The major psychotic disorders: schizophrenia and mania 287

22 Depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy 299

23 Epilepsy 315

24 Extrapyramidal movement disorders and spasticity 327

25 Other neurological disorders: multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome 341

26 Migraine 345

Section 6 The musculoskeletal system

27 The neuromuscular junction and neuromuscular blockade 355

28 Myasthenia gravis 361

29 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 365

30 Rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory arthritides and osteoarthritis 377

31 Hyperuricaemia and gout 387

Section 7 The gastrointestinal system

32 Nausea and vomiting 395

33 Dyspepsia and peptic ulcer disease 403

34 Inflammatory bowel disease 415

35 Constipation, diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome 421

36 Liver disease 429

37 Obesity 437

Section 8 The immune system

38 The immune response and immunosuppressant drugs 445

39 Antihistamines and allergic disease 455

Section 9 The endocrine system and metabolism

40 Diabetes mellitus 463

41 The thyroid and control of metabolic rate 477

42 Calcium metabolism and metabolic bone disease 483

43 Pituitary and hypothalamic hormones 493

44 Corticosteroids (glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids) 505

45 Female reproduction 515

46 Androgens and anabolic steroids 535

47 Anaemia and haematopoietic colony-stimulating factors 541

48 Lipid disorders 551

Section 10 The skin and eyes

49 Skin disorders 565

50 The eye 575

Section 11 Chemotherapy

51 Chemotherapy of infections 587

52 Chemotherapy of malignancy 641

Section 12 General features: toxicity and prescribing

53 Drug toxicity and overdose 671

54 Substance abuse and dependence 687

55 Prescribing, adherence and information about medicines 699

56 Drug therapy in special situations 703

Index 715

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Indispensable reference for students in all professional aspects of drug prescribing

Editorial Reviews

"Overall, the strengths of this text include its organisation and position of pharmacological information in a clinical context, its accessible language and engaging format ... A succinct yet broad scope of topics enhances the desirability of this text to those who design and deliver an integrated curriculum, and also to the student who wishes to learn what is typically regarded as a difficult, but most essential topic, in a relevant and approachable way."

2018 BMA Awards: Highly Commended, Medicine

From reviews of the previous edition:

‘As a medical student, I had previously studied Pharmacology … with a book that made me hate Pharmacology! Most people who, like I did, have read that book, will agree that another Pharmacology textbook would be better to use later to review some subjects (it is amazing how Pharmacology vanishes so swiftly from our heads!). I quickly found this one. A quick glance at the table of contents and I immediately understood I wanted to purchase it. It did not take long for me to notice this was the best choice I could have made. Waller's Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics offers a broad covering, with straight-to-the-point explanations. It never goes into unnecessary detail, although sometimes a little more detail would be desirable (for example, more information on drug interactions).Summing it up, in comparison, Waller's has a broader coverage, less detail, clearer writing and is a better source for a quick review. Remember that I hated Pharmacology before? Well, I ended up loving it - such is the difference a good textbook makes.’

From the Publisher