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Pharmacology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of how a drug's actions affect living tissue (Table 19-1). It is important for the physical therapist to have a working knowledge of pharmacology because of the number of drugs currently on the market and the number of physical therapy patients that are likely to have been prescribed medications.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
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- Directs the drug development process
- Gives approval for marketing a new drug
- Approves a new use for an older drug
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Drug regulation is essential to ensure a safe and effective product. The purposes of drug regulation include
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- Balancing the need of the pharmaceutical companies to show a profit with the need for patients to have easy access to effective medications
- To ensure safety and efficacy of the drugs and review product labeling
- To regulate the manufacturing process to ensure stability in the product
- To control public access to drugs that have the potential for abuse
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Controlled Substances
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Controlled substances are drugs classified according to their potential for abuse. These drugs are regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies these compounds into schedules from I to V.
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- Schedule I: these drugs are ...