What process involves getting the drug into the body?

The process of getting a drug into the body is best described by pharmacokinetics. This term encompasses the various bodily processes a drug undergoes after administration, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Specifically, absorption refers to the initial phase where the drug enters the bloodstream from its site of administration, but pharmacokinetics is the broader category that includes all subsequent processes, giving it a more comprehensive definition regarding how a drug interacts with the body over time.

Pharmacodynamics, on the other hand, involves how the drug affects the body, including the mechanisms of action and the relationship between drug concentration and effect. While absorption is a component of pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetics as a whole is the correct term to describe the full scope of processes that occur after a drug is introduced into the body. Therapeutic relates to the treatment effects of the drug rather than the process of the drug's introduction. Therefore, pharmacokinetics captures the full journey of the drug through the body, making it the appropriate choice for understanding drug introduction.