How do benzodiazepines work as hypnotic drugs?

Benzodiazepines enhance the effect of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, to produce calming and sleep-promoting effects.

What is the main action of NSAIDs in inflammation?

NSAIDs reduce prostaglandin production by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes, helping relieve inflammation, pain, and fever.

Free Course Image Introduction to Pharmacology

Free online course Introduction to Pharmacology

Duration of the online course: 8 hours and 21 minutes

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Build real pharmacology skills—understand how drugs work, interact, and are used in care. Take this free online course and earn a certificate.

In this free course, learn about

Core pharmacology terms: drug, placebo; scope of pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics: how drugs act on receptors and produce effects
Pharmacokinetics: ADME—how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, excretes drugs
Drug interactions: types, mechanisms, and clinical significance
Therapeutic index vs effective dose: concepts of efficacy and safety margin
Cholinergic system: acetylcholine roles; muscarinic effects in the heart
Adrenergic system: alpha-2 functions; beta agonists incl. non-selective stimulants
Blood types basics and key transfusion compatibility principles
CNS drugs: benzodiazepines mechanism; antiepileptics & anti-Parkinsonian overview
Mood/stimulant agents: depression pathophysiology; caffeine mechanism; nootropics/adaptogens
Analgesics: opioid system neurotransmitters; opioid receptors and mu receptor effects
Morphine: structure basics and notable opiate derivatives with non-analgesic actions
NSAIDs: anti-inflammatory mechanism, main clinical uses, and when preferred over narcotics
Steroids/antihypertensives: SAIDs in asthma; diuretics, vasopressin, mineralocorticoids, CCBs

About the free online course

Understanding medicines goes beyond memorizing names. Pharmacology is the bridge between biology and real clinical decisions: why a drug helps, when it harms, and how to predict its behavior in the body. This course offers a clear, beginner-friendly introduction to the core ideas that shape safe and effective medication use, whether you are preparing for health studies or refreshing essential concepts for practice.

You will learn how pharmacodynamics explains what a drug does to the body, from receptors and neurotransmitters to measurable responses, and how pharmacokinetics explains what the body does to a drug through absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. By connecting these two perspectives, you will be able to reason through dose–response relationships, therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and why the same medicine can act differently across people and situations.

A strong emphasis is placed on drug interactions and clinical reasoning: how combining pharmaceutical substances can change outcomes, amplify side effects, or reduce efficacy. You will also develop an intuitive grasp of safety concepts such as therapeutic index, helping you weigh benefit versus risk with more confidence. Along the way, short knowledge checks reinforce key definitions and mechanisms so you can retain what matters and apply it.

The course then builds practical familiarity with major drug groups that frequently appear in healthcare settings, especially those acting on the nervous system and cardiovascular system. Topics include cholinergic and adrenergic signaling, sedative-hypnotics, agents used in epilepsy and Parkinsonism, antidepressants and stimulants, and analgesics ranging from non-narcotic options to opioids. You will also explore anti-inflammatory therapy, including NSAIDs and corticosteroids, and their use in conditions such as asthma, as well as essential antihypertensive concepts like diuretics and calcium channel blockers. By the end, you should be able to interpret common mechanisms and anticipate typical therapeutic uses and effects in a structured, evidence-oriented way.

Course content

Video class: Introduction to pharmacology ( part 1 ) _ Introduction of drugs 13m
Exercise: What is the primary focus of pharmacodynamics in pharmacology?
Video class: Introduction to pharmacology part 2 14m
Exercise: What is the term used to describe an inactive substance given to a patient under the belief that it is a medicinal product, and which can produce a perceived improvement in the patient's condition?
Video class: Interaction of pharmaceutical substances part 1 ( Drug interaction ) 19m
Exercise: In pharmacology, the term 'pharmacokinetics' primarily describes what aspect of drug interaction?
Video class: ( Interaction of pharmaceutical substances part 2 ( Drug interaction 29m
Exercise: What is the primary difference between therapeutic index and effective dose in pharmacology?

Video class: cholinergic drugs part 1 14m
Exercise: Which neurotransmitter is responsible for the transmission of impulses at the parasympathetic synapses in both preganglionic and postganglionic neurons?
Video class: cholinergic drugs part 2 30m
Exercise: Which of the following effects occurs when m choliner receptors are stimulated in the heart?
Video class: Blood types 03m

Video class: Hypnotic drugs. antiepileptic drugs. Anti-Parkinsonic drugs. 49m
Exercise: What is the primary mechanism of action for benzodiazepines when used as hypnotic agents?
Video class: (Adrenergic drugs ( part 1 25m
Exercise: What is one of the primary functions of alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in the sympathetic nervous system?
Video class: (Adrenergic drugs ( part 2 25m
Exercise: Which of the following drugs is a non-selective beta adrenergic receptor stimulant?
Video class: Nootropics, antidepressants, psychostimulants, analeptics, adaptogens 23m
Exercise: What is the primary pathological process in the brain that occurs during depression, according to the lecture?
Video class: (Antidepressants psychostimulants (part 2 30m
Exercise: What mechanism does caffeine use to exert its stimulating effects on the central nervous system?

Video class: (Narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics ( part 1 08m
Exercise: Which two types of neurotransmitters are primarily involved in the reduction of pain through the body’s opioid system?
Video class: (Classification of Narcotic analgesics - Narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics ( part 3 13m
Exercise: What is the main consequence of stimulating opioid mu receptors?
Video class: (Types of opioid receptors - Narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics ( part 2 08m
Exercise: What is the primary function of opioid receptors such as mu, delta, and kappa in the human body?
Video class: Morphine and Chemical structure of MORPHINE (part 4 ) 11m
Exercise: Which of the following opiate derivatives is primarily responsible for a spasmolytic effect rather than an analgesic one?

Video class: (Anti-inflammatory, anti-gout and anti-allergic drugs : NSAIDs (part 1 17m
Exercise: What is the primary function of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the context of anti-inflammatory actions?
Video class: Clinical uses of NSAIDs : Anti-inflammatory, anti-gout and anti-allergic drugs 24m
Exercise: Which of the following conditions would MOST likely require the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), rather than narcotic drugs, for pain management?
Video class: Mechanism of action of SAIDs 26m
Exercise: Which of the following describes the action of corticosteroids in treating bronchial asthma?

Video class: Anti-hypertensive - Diuretics. Vasopressin and mineralocorticoids 37m
Exercise: Which of the following statements about calcium channel blockers is true?
Video class: Drugs effecting blood pressure 08m
Exercise: Which of the following systems or factors is responsible for the reduction of blood pressure in the body?
Video class: Types of adrenoreceptors 04m
Exercise: Which of the following effects is predominantly caused by the activation of beta-2 adrenergic receptors?
Video class: Drugs that weaken the sympathetic nervous system 05m
Exercise: Which of the following mechanisms is associated with the action of clonidine in the central nervous system?
Video class: Alpha blockers - Alpha adrenoblockers 05m
Exercise: What is the primary therapeutic use of selective alpha-1 adrenergic blockers?
Video class: Beta blockers 03m
Exercise: Which of the following is one of the ways beta blockers can lower blood pressure?
Video class: Mechanism of intracellular action 12m
Exercise: What happens at the cellular level when beta receptors are blocked in cardiac myocytes?
Video class: IHD - Ischemic heart disease 33m
Exercise: Which of the following drugs is primarily used to reduce myocardial oxygen demand in ischemic heart disease by decreasing heart workload?