Learning Targets

After studying this lesson, I will be able to
explain the effects of over-the-counter and pharmaceutical drugs and the risks of misuse or abuse.

Types of Medicines
Medicines are drugs that are used to treat or prevent diseases or other conditions. Drugs are 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. Drugs are effective in treating illness when taken as directed by a physician or according to the label instructions. Medicines that treat or prevent illness can be classified into four broad categories:
Medicines that help prevent disease
Medicines that fight pathogens (germs).
Medicines that relieve pain and other symptoms
Medicines that manage chronic conditions, help maintain or restore health, and regulate body systems.

Preventing Disease
Vaccines – a preparation that prevents a person from contracting a specific disease. They contain weakened or dead pathogens that cause the disease. When injected into your body, the vaccine produces antibodies that fight those pathogens. Your body also produces memory cells that recall how to make these antibodies. Some vaccines provide you with long-lasting protection while some vaccines protection fades over time.
Antitoxins – they help neutralize the effects of toxins produced by certain bacteria. Antitoxins are usually produced by injecting animals with safe amounts of a specific toxin which stimulates the animal’s immune system to produce antibodies which are then used to make an antitoxin.
Fighting Pathogens
Antibiotics – a class of drug that destroys disease-causing microorganisms called bacteria. They are effective only against bacteria and will not cure illnesses caused by viruses. They work by killing the harmful bacteria in the body, or by preventing bacteria from reproducing. Some antibiotics produce side effects; some cause allergic reactions; and they can lose their effectiveness due to the bacteria adapting to the drug use over time. Bacteria can develop resistance in two ways:
When the antibiotic is overused
When the patient doesn’t finish taking the full prescription. If you do not finish taking the full prescription, you may not kill all the bacteria. The remaining bacteria may develop a resistance, or immunity, to treatment.
Antivirals – These drugs are available to treat some viral illnesses. They suppress the virus, but do not kill it; the person will still have the virus in his or her body. As a result, the person often has symptom-free periods followed by flare-ups when symptoms reappear. Like bacteria, viruses can also develop a resistance to medications.
Antifungals – these drugs suppress or kill fungus cells, such as athlete’s foot and ringworm.
Relieving Pain
The most commonly used medicines are analgesics. They are used to treat pain, reduce fever, and fight inflammation (redness, swelling, and pain). They range from relatively mild medicines, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to strong narcotics such as morphine and codeine.
*Children who take aspirin are at risk of developing Reye’s syndrome, a potentially life-threatening illness
IV. Managing Chronic Conditions
Some medicines are used to treat chronic conditions. These medicines maintain or restore health and offer people with chronic disease a higher level of wellness.
Allergy Medicines
Antihistamines reduce allergy symptoms by blocking the chemicals released by the immune system that cause an allergic response.
Epinephrine is used by individuals who know they are allergic to substances that cause severe reactions (e.g., peanuts, bee stings).
Body Regulating Medicines
Insulin is used by people with diabetes to regulate the amount of sugar in their blood.
Asthma sufferers may take medicines every day to control symptoms and prevent attacks.
Cardiovascular medicines are taken to regulate blood pressure, normalize irregular heartbeats, or regulate other functions of the cardiovascular system.
Antidepressant and Antipsychotic Medicines - These medicines can help regulate brain chemistry, or stabilize moods.
Cancer Treatment Medicines – These medicines can reduce rapid cell growth and help stop the spread of cancer cells. Because these medications can also destroy healthy cells, serious side effects may occur as part of the treatment.
Prescription and Over-the Counter Medicines
Prescription Medicines are medicines that are dispensed only with the written approval of a licensed physician or nurse-practitioner.
Over-the counter (OTC) medicines are medicines you can buy without a doctor’s prescription.

Taking Medications
Medicines can be delivered to the body in many ways. Factors that determine how a medicine is taken include what the medicine is used for, and how it will most quickly and effectively help a person
Oral medicines are taken by mouth in the form of tablets, capsules, or liquids. These medicines pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream.
Topical medicines are applied to the skin. Transdermal skin patches also deliver a medicine through the skin.
Inhaled medicines, such as asthma medicines, are delivered in a fine mist or powder.
Injected medicines are delivered through a shot, and go directly into the bloodstream.

Reactions to Medications
Side effects are reactions to medicines other than the one intended. Some side effects may be mild, but others may be more severe and can even cause death.
Medicine interactions can occur when two or more medications are taken together, or when a medication is taken with certain foods. The combination may have a different effect than when the medicine is taken alone. Types of medicine interactions include:
Additive interaction – occurs when medicines work together in a positive way.
Synergistic effect – the interaction of two or more medicines that results in a greater effect than when each medicine is taken alone. One medicine increases the strength of the other.
Antagonistic interaction – occurs when the effect of one medicine is canceled or reduced when taken with another medicine.
Tolerance is a condition in which the body becomes used to the effects of a medicine. The body requires increasingly larger doses to produce the same effect. Sometimes a person will experience “reverse tolerance” where the body requires less medicine.
Withdrawal occurs when a person stops using a medicine on which he or she has become physiologically dependent. Symptoms of withdrawal can include nervousness, insomnia, severe headaches, vomiting, chills, and cramps.

Medicine Misuse and Abuse
Medicine misuse involves using a medicine in ways other than the intended use. Examples of medicine misuse are:
Failing to follow the instructions on or in the package
Giving a prescription medicine to a person for whom it was not prescribed, or taking another person’s medicine.
Taking too much or too little of a medicine
Taking a medicine for a longer or shorter period than prescribed or recommended
Discontinuing use of a medication without informing your health care provider
Mixing medicines without the knowledge or approval of your health care provider
Medicine abuse is intentionally taking medications for nonmedical reasons.
One danger of medicine misuse and abuse is drug overdose which is a strong, sometimes fatal reaction to taking a large amount of a drug

Prescription Medicine Abuse
Prescription medications are highly beneficial treatments for a variety of health conditions. When abused – taken by someone other than the patient for whom it was prescribed, or taken in a manner or dosage other than what was prescribed – they can produce serious adverse health effects, including addiction.
The following three classes of medications are most commonly abused: opioids, Central Nervous System depressants, and stimulants.

Opioids
Opioids are analgesic, or pain relieving medications. When properly managed (taken as prescribed) they are safe and rarely cause addiction.
Common compounds of opioids include Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Oxycodone (OxyContin), morphine, fentanyl, codeine, proxyphene (Darvon), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and meperidine (Demerol).
Opioids can be taken orally, or the pills crushed and the powder snorted or injected. Snorting or injecting opioids results in the rapid release of the drug into the bloodstream, exposing the person to high doses and causing overdose reactions.
Adverse effects of opioid abuse include drowsiness; constipation; depressed breathing; and death. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness; muscle and bone pain; insomnia; diarrhea; vomiting; cold flashes; involuntary leg movements.

Central Nervous System Depressants
CNS depressants (tranquilizers and sedatives) are medications that slow normal brain function. They are often prescribed to treat anxiety disorders and sleep disorders.
Common CNS depressants include barbiturates (Mebaral and Nembutal), benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, and ProSom) and newer sleep medications (Ambien, Sonata, and Lunestra).
CNS depressants are usually taken orally, sometimes in combination with other drugs to counteract the effects of other licit or illicit drugs (e.g., stimulants).
CNS depressants should not be combined with any medication that causes drowsiness, or with alcohol. If combined, they can slow both heart rate and respiration, which could be fatal.

Stimulants
Stimulants increase alertness, attention and energy. They also increase blood pressure and heart rate; constrict blood vessels; increase blood glucose; and open up the pathways of the respiratory system. They are prescribed to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, ADHD, narcolepsy, and depression.
The two classes of stimulants include amphetamines (Adderall and Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Concerta and Ritalin).
Stimulants can be taken orally, but some abusers crush the tablet, dissolve them in water, and then, and then inject the mixture. Complications can arise because insoluble fillers in the tablets can block small blood vessels.
Abuse can result in irregular heartbeat; dangerously high body temperatures; cardiovascular failure; seizures; or hostility or paranoia.

Dextromethorphan (DXM)
DXM is the active ingredient found in over-the-counter cough and cold medications. When taken in recommended doses, these medications are safe and effective.
When abused, DXM is taken orally in excessive amounts. Effects of abuse include impaired motor function; numbness; nausea and vomiting; increased heart rate; increased blood pressure; and brain hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain)
Write 5 sentences about what you learned from the info sheet.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1 answer

I learned that medicines can be classified into four broad categories based on their functions: those that prevent disease, fight pathogens, relieve pain, and manage chronic conditions.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can be purchased without a prescription, while prescription medicines require a doctor's approval, and misuse of either can lead to serious health risks, including drug overdose.
The misuse of antibiotics can lead to bacterial resistance, meaning that infections may become harder to treat due to bacteria that adapt to the medication.
I discovered that drug interactions can significantly alter the intended effects of medications, leading to potentially dangerous situations or side effects such as tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.
Finally, I learned that specific classes of medications, such as opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants, are commonly abused and can lead to severe health consequences, including addiction and life-threatening effects.