Download Understanding Drugs and Medicines

Understanding Drugs and
Medicines
Overview of Chapter
• Learn what makes a drug a medicine
• Why certain drugs are classified as drugs of
abuse
• Benefits of medicines when taken correctly
• Risks of misusing medicines
• Why certain drugs are addictive
• How addiction can be avoided and treated
Drugs
Chapter 9: Section 1
Overview of Section
• List three qualities that make a drug useful as a
medicine.
• Name the two sources of all drugs.
• Identify four different types of medicines and their
effects on the body.
• Identify five different ways that drugs can enter the
body.
• Describe why some drugs are considered drugs of
abuse.
What Are Drugs?
• A drug is any substance that causes a change in a
person’s physical or psychological state.
• Medicines are drugs used to cure, prevent, or treat
illness or discomfort.
• Good medicines have the following qualities:
– Effectiveness—when a medicine is good at carrying out its
task.
– Safety—when used as directed.
– Minor side effects—mild.
Drugs of Abuse
• Drugs of abuse are drugs that people take for mindaltering effects that have no medical purpose.
• Drugs of abuse can change the way your brain works
in ways that are unhealthy and dangerous.
• Drugs that affect your brain can change your
behavior over time and lead to addiction and longterm health problems.
Where Do Drugs Come From?
• All drugs are chemicals that come from one of two
sources:
– Naturals sources, such as plants, animals, or fungi
– Laboratories
Types of Medicine
• A prescription is a written order from a doctor for a
specific medicine.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can be bought
without a prescription.
America’s Most Popular Drug
• About 80-90% of the American population
consume caffeine in one form or another
• The most widely consumed drug
• An addictive drug
• Can lead to physical dependence
Types of Medicines
• Analgesic
– Relives pain
• Antihistamine
– Helps relieve allergy
symptoms
• Antacid
– Neutralizes
• Antibiotic
– Kills bacteria
• Bronchodilator
– Helps open air way
• Steriod antiinflammatory
– Reduces
inflammation/itch on
the skin
• Sedative
– Causes sleepiness
How Drugs Enter The Body
• Drugs can be taken into
the body in the following
ways:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Implanted pumps
Inhalation
Injection
Transdermal patches
Ingestion
Topical application
Drugs as Medicines
Objectives
• Describe the process by which drugs are approved
for medical use.
• State two reasons why prescriptions are required for
some medicines.
• State two factors to consider when choosing overthe-counter (OTC) medicines.
• Describe three problems that can occur when taking
some medicines.
• List six things you shoula do to be able to use
medicines wisely
Approving Drugs for Medical Use
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was
created in 1906 to control the safety of food, drugs,
and cosmetics in the United States.
• The FDA uses an approval process for proving a
drug is safe and effective. Some steps include:
–
–
–
–
Chemical or cell-culture testing in laboratories
Testing on animals
Testing on human volunteers
Clinical trials to compare to existing drugs
Prescription Medicines
• Prescription medications should only be taken with a
doctor’s recommendation and supervision.
• Taking someone else’s medication or failing to follow
the prescription can be dangerous.
Medicine Labels
• Prescriptions include the following information:
–
–
–
–
Dosage (how much you should take)
When you should take the medicine
How often you should take the medicine
The length of time you should take the medicine
• Many pharmacies will also give you a drug
information sheet that includes:
– Side effects
– Known interactions with other medicines
Over-the-counter (OTC)
• Most OTC medicines are used for common illnesses,
injuries, and disorders.
• When choosing an OTC:
– Decide what kind of OTC will work for you.
– Decide whether you want a generic or brand-name
medicine. They often have the same active ingredients but
different inactive ingredients.
– Read the labels.
OTC Continued
• Long-term use of OTC medicines can cover up more
serious problems.
• If symptoms persist, consult a doctor.
• Herbal remedies and dietary supplements do not
have to be approved by the FDA.
• Because they may have not been thoroughly tested,
herbal remedies and dietary supplements may not be
safe or effective.
Fact
• The national institute on drug abuse
estimates that in 1994, 4 million people
aged 12 and older used prescription
medicine for non-medical reasons
Possible Problems with Medicines
• Allergic reactions are the most serious risks to
taking medicines.
• Symptoms of anaphylactic shock include:
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–
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Itching all over the body
Swelling, especially in the mouth or throat
Wheezing or difficulty breathing
A pounding heart
Fainting and unconsciousness
Possible Problems With
Medicines-continued
• Side effects are more common problems than
medicine allergies.
• Drug interactions occur when a drug reacts with
another drug, food, or dietary supplement to increase
or decrease the effect of one of the substances.
• Labels on OTC packages or drug information sheets
describe possible drug interactions and may also list
potential side effects.
Using Medicines Wisely
1. Make yourself part of your own healthcare team.
2. Be prepared to ask questions.
3. Learn the facts about any medicine you take.
4. Listen to your body.
5. It’s not always safe to suddenly stop taking a drug.
6. Speak up and enlist your parents’ help.
Drugs and The Brain
Objectives
• Describe how drugs that affect the brain work.
• State how drugs can affect a person’s emotions.
• Describe how addiction can develop from
experimentation.
• Summarize the role of withdrawal in maintaining a
drug addiction.
• Describe why addiction is considered a treatable and
avoidable disease.
How Drugs That Affect the Brain Work
• Information processing in the brain takes place at the
connections between neurons, called synapses.
• Signals are passed across synapses by chemicals
called neurotransmitters.
• Some drugs affect the way neurons communicate by
acting like neurotransmitters, blocking
neurotransmitters, or changing the amount of
neurotransmitters.
• These changes can affect our moods and emotions.
• Serotonin.
• Dopamine.
• Epinephrine.
• Antidepressants.
Path To Addiction
• Addiction is a condition in which a person can no
longer control his or her drug use.
• Most drugs of abuse activate the brain reward
system, which releases chemicals that give pleasure.
• Pleasure alone does not cause addiction.
• People who become addicts usually start by
experimenting, then more regular use leads to a
series of changes on the path to addiction.
• Brain reward system.
• Collective name for sets of brain structures.
Dependence
• Physical-the state in which the body relies
on a given drug in order to function
normally.
• Psychological-state of emotionally or
mentally needing a drug in order to function
normally.
Addiction
• Learning drug abuse
behavior/attitude
• Lose control of their
behavior
• Do not care about the
consequences
• Learns how to get
them
• Learns how to take
them
• How to lie and steal
• Most important, learns
to use drugs to deal
with their emotional
problems
• Now classified as a
brain disorder
Withdrawal
• Uncomfortable physical and psychological
symptoms produced when a physically
dependent drug user stops using drugs.
• Characterized mostly by symptoms that are
opposite to the drug’s effect.
• Forces the users to take more of that drug to
regain a “normal feeling.”
Addiction is a Treatable Disease
• Drug addiction is a brain disorder, and it is treatable.
• Most communities offer a variety of treatment
programs for addiction.
• The best way to avoid addiction is to avoid drugs of
abuse altogether.
Facts/Figures
• Three quarters of 16 yr olds do not drink of
use pot
• 98% of that does not use cocaine or heroin
• 50% of 16 yr olds have never smoked a
cigarette