Objectives

After completing this module you should be able to:

• Define the elimination half life.

• Describe the difference between the elimination half life when the elimination process follows zero-order or first-order kinetics.

• Describe the relationship between the elimination half life and the elimination rate constant.

• Determine the half life of a drug after iv administration graphically and mathematically.

• Utilize the equations that describe the plasma concentration-time profile after a single iv dose to calculate the plasma drug concentration at any time.

• Describe how the change in the drug half life affects the drug concentration-time profile after iv drug administration.