Transmission in Medicine: How Drug Interactions, Delivery, and Body Processes Affect Treatment
When we talk about transmission, the process by which substances move through biological systems to produce an effect. Also known as drug disposition, it’s not just about how a virus spreads—it’s about how your medicine gets absorbed, travels, transforms, and leaves your body. This invisible journey decides whether a drug works, causes side effects, or even becomes dangerous when mixed with something else.
Think of pharmacokinetics, how the body handles a drug from the moment it enters until it’s gone as the roadmap. It starts with absorption—how fast your stomach or gut pulls in the pill. Then comes distribution: where the drug goes in your blood, whether it crosses the blood-brain barrier, or gets stuck in fat tissue. Metabolism happens mostly in the liver, where enzymes break it down into active or inactive pieces. Finally, elimination—through urine, stool, or sweat. Miss one step, and the whole plan falls apart. That’s why drug interactions, when one medication changes how another behaves in your body are so risky. Take clarithromycin with alcohol? That’s a transmission problem. A statin like rosuvastatin raises blood sugar? That’s metabolic transmission gone sideways. Even mail-order pills can fail if temperature control breaks down during delivery—heat can alter the chemical structure before it even reaches you.
Transmission also explains why some people need higher doses while others get sick from tiny amounts. Genetics, age, liver health, and other medications all tweak how your body processes drugs. That’s why deprescribing in older adults isn’t just about stopping pills—it’s about retraining how your system handles what’s left. Same goes for GLP-1s in PCOS: their weight loss effect isn’t magic—it’s a targeted transmission through gut hormones that slow digestion and signal fullness. Even dry eyes from antidepressants? That’s transmission too—drugs blocking nerve signals that tell your tear glands to work.
Understanding transmission means you’re not just taking pills—you’re managing a system. It’s why monitoring NSAID side effects isn’t just about stomach pain—it’s watching how those drugs affect kidney blood flow. Why vitamin D levels don’t always match symptoms? Because its transmission into cells depends on receptor sensitivity, not just blood numbers. And why FDA alerts matter? Because a single change in how a generic drug is manufactured can shift its transmission profile—and your health with it.
Below, you’ll find real-world examples of how transmission shapes treatment outcomes—from statins and antibiotics to nasal sprays and pregnancy tests. These aren’t just drug guides. They’re maps of what happens inside your body after you swallow, inject, or inhale something meant to help you.
- By Percival Harrington
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- 27 Nov 2025
Hepatitis B and C: How They Spread, How to Test for Them, and What’s New in Treatment
Hepatitis B and C spread through blood and bodily fluids, but only hepatitis B has a vaccine. Testing is simple, treatment for hepatitis C is now curable, and new therapies for hepatitis B are on the horizon. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and others.