What term describes the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of medications?

The term that encompasses the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of medications is pharmacokinetics. This branch of pharmacology focuses on what the body does to a drug, detailing how the body processes and handles medication over time. Each stage—absorption refers to how a drug enters the bloodstream, distribution pertains to how the drug is transported throughout the body, metabolism involves the chemical alterations of the drug by the body, and excretion covers the elimination of drugs from the body—is crucial for understanding the overall effects of a medication.

Pharmacodynamics, on the other hand, deals with the biological effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action, rather than how the drugs are processed by the body. Pharmaceutics relates to the formulation and design of drug delivery systems. Pharmacotherapy focuses on the treatment of diseases using medications. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the role of pharmacokinetics in the context of medication management and patient care.