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/ abuse Identify 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 mind ALL 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