Warm-up

Finish up your anti-tobacco or anti-alcohol ad. Prepare yourself to present to the class.

Presentation should include: Description of your ad/ What truth are you portraying Why you chose the words or pictures on your ad Who are you trying to appeal to?

The Role of Medicine

Lesson 17

Objectives:

Identify causes of drug use/ abuseIdentify the differences between

prescription and over-the-counter medications

Identify school and community resources available for assistance with drug related issues

Classification of Medicines

Medicines: drugs that are used to treat or prevent disease or other conditions

Drugs: substances other than food that change the structure or function of the body or mindALL Medicines are Drugs BUT not all Drugs are

Medicines 4 Categories

Help prevent disease Fight pathogens, or infectious agents that cause disease Relieve pain Help maintain or restore health and regulate the body’s

systems

Medicines That Prevent Disease

Vaccines A preparation introduced into the body to stimulate an immune

response Contained weakened or dead pathogens that stimulate your body to

produce specific antibodies Antibodies produced give your body long-lasting protection against

these specific pathogens in the future Antitoxins

Extracts of blood fluids that contain antibodies and act more quickly than vaccines

Produced by inoculating animals such as sheep, horses, or rabbits with specific toxins that stimulate the animal’s immune system to produce antibodies

In humans the injection of antitoxins neutralizes the effect of the toxins

Ex: tetanus

Medicines that Fight Pathogens

Antibiotics Chemical agents that destroy disease causing microorganisms

while leaving the patient unharmed Work by either killing harmful bacteria in the body or preventing

bacteria from reproducing PROBLEM: over the years many strains of bacteria have

emerged that are resistance to certain antibiotics 2 reasons this has occurred

• Overexposure to antibiotics• Failure to finish a prescription medication

Antivirals Suppress the virus, don’t kill it

Antifungals Suppress infections

Ex: athletes foot or ringworm

Medicines that Relieve Pain

Analgesics Pain relievers Range from mild (aspirin) to strong narcotics (morphine,

codeine) Aspirin

Can be DANGEROUS Even in small does it can irritate the stomach Can cause dizziness and ringing in the ears Children who take aspirin are at risk of developing Reye’s

Syndrome• Potentially life threatening illness of the brain and liver• Aspirin should not be given to someone under the age of 20 unless

directed by a health care professional Alternatives to aspirin include acetaminophen (found in Tylenol)

or Ibuprofen (found in Motrin) Acetaminophen is recommended for children

Medicines that Promote Health Medicines that maintain or restore health, enabling many people

with chronic diseases to function at an increased level of wellness Allergy Medicines

Antihistamines and other medicines to reduce allergy symptoms Sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, runny nose

Body-Regulating Medicines Regulate body chemistry

Examples• insulin used to treat diabetes • inhalers used to relieve asthma symptoms • cardiovascular medicines used to regulate blood pressure, normalize heartbeats

or regulate other functions of the cardiovascular system Antidepressant and Antipsychotic Medicines

Normalize brain chemistry Example

• Mood stabilizers used in treatment of mood disorders, depression and schizophrenia

Helps people with these problems to live healthy, productive lives Cancer Treatment Medicines

Reduce rapid cell growth and help stop the spread of cancer cells example:

• Chemotherapy is used to kill fast-growing cancer cells

Medicines and the Body

Side effects: reactions to medicine other than the one intended Additive Interaction: medicines work together in a positive way

Muscle relaxant prescribed with an anti-inflammatory to treat joint pain Synergistic Effect: interaction of two or more medications that results in a

greater effect than when the medicines are taken alone One medicine may boost the rate of digestion, enabling a second medicine to be

absorbed faster Antagonistic Interactions: effect of one medicine is canceled or reduced

when taken with another medicine Antirejection medicines may reduce the effectiveness of insulin

Tolerance: Condition when the body becomes used to the effect of a medicine and requires increasingly larger doses of the medicine to produce the same effect

Withdrawal: occurs when a person stops using a medicine on which he or she has a chemical dependence

Symptoms include nervousness, insomnia, sever headaches, vomiting, chills and cramps

Sometimes requires medical intervention

Medicine Safety Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

All medicines must meet the standards set by the FDA before being approved and made available for sale

Determines how a medicine should be released to the public Prescription:

• Written approval by a physician is needed• Dispensed only by a licensed pharmacist

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines• Wide variety of medicines available without a prescription

Requires all manufacturers to supply information about a medicine’s chemical composition, intended use, effect, and possible side effects

Figure 23.1 Pg 590

Prescription Medicine Labels

Medicine Misuse

It is the responsibility of individuals and families to use medicines and supplement as they are prescribed or intended by law, policy, or commonly accepted practice

Failure to follow instructions can have serious health consequences

Other types of misuse include: Giving prescription medicine to a person form whom it was not

prescribed or taking someone else’s prescription Taking too much or too little of a medicine Taking a medicine for a longer or shorter period than prescribed Discontinuing use of a medicine without informing the health

care professional Mixing medicines