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A medicine is any substance that is designed to prevent or treat diseases and a drug is designed to produce a specific reaction inside the body. While there is considerable overlap between the two types of substances, these differences are also quite important. Most of the medicines that are also drugs are considered "controlled substances." This means that there are laws governing their use and that using them in ways contrary to those laws can lead to criminal charges. Antidepressants like Lexapro are drugs, in that they are designed to help alleviate the physical symptoms of depression. However, they are also used in the treatment of the chemical imbalance that leads to depression, so Lexapro is also a medicine. Cocaine, on the other hand, is a drug designed to create a specific mental reaction that leads to a "high" for the user. However, the medical establishment does not recognize any medical benefits for cocaine at this ti...

Drug kinetics after multiple dosing Pharmacokinetics of multiple dose •      The purpose of the multiple dosing is to maintain a desired plasma level of drugs for long periods of time. •      The plasma level obtained from each succeeding dose is always higher than those obtained from the previous dose since some drug remains in the plasma when repeated doses are administered. • Since the rate of elimination is proportional to the amount of drug in the body, it increases with the increasing amount of drug until it approaches the rate of input (rate of input=rate of output). • At this point the amount reaches a plateau in the body. (Rate of input=rate of output). •      The main difference is the fluctuation in the plasma concentration due to multiple dosing. 2 •               Dosage regimen: – size of the drug dose – frequency o...