What does pharmacokinetics study?

Pharmacokinetics focuses on how the body processes drugs, encompassing the stages of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. This field examines how a drug enters the body, how it spreads through various tissues, how it is chemically altered (metabolized) by the body, and how it is eventually eliminated. Understanding pharmacokinetics is crucial for determining dosages, frequency of administration, and the potential for drug interactions. This knowledge allows healthcare professionals to tailor treatments specific to an individual's physiological characteristics, resulting in optimized therapeutic outcomes and minimized side effects.

In contrast, the study of drug effects on biological systems relates more to pharmacodynamics, while the chemical properties of drugs pertain to medicinal chemistry. The interactions of drugs with food fall under the topic of drug-nutrient interactions, which is also distinct from pharmacokinetics as it focuses on external factors affecting drug behavior rather than the internal processes of drug metabolism and elimination.