Prescription Drugs: Timing Matters

Learning Objectives
Describe the factors that affect drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion.
Discuss the importance of a drug's bioavailability and half-life.
Define some of the diurnal changes in cardiac, gastrointestinal, hepatic, and renal function that can influence the best timing of medications.
Describe how proper scheduling of medications can minimize pain and stiffness in different arthritic and autoimmune diseases.
Discuss why consistent medication timing or schedules are helpful in the treatment of diabetes, neurologic illnesses, and mood disorders.