Mr. Beerbower McHenry High School Medicines Mr. Beerbower McHenry High School

4 Broad Categories of Medicine Prevent Disease Fight Pathogens Relieve Pain Help Heart and regulate Blood Pressure

Vaccines & Analgesics What is a Vaccine What are Analgesics A preparation containing weakened or dead pathogens that cause a particular disease given to prevent one from contracting that disease What are Analgesics Pain relievers What is the most widely used non-prescription analgesic? Aspirin

Side Effects and Interaction Reactions to medicine other than one intended. Additive Interaction: Medicines that work together in a positive way Synergistic Effect: Interaction of 2 meds that result in a greater effect than when meds are taken independently. Antagonistic Interaction: Effect of medication is cancelled or reduced when taken with another medicine

Medicine Info cont… Tolerance: Withdrawal: A condition in which the body becomes used to the effect of the medicine or drug. Withdrawal: Process that occurs when a person stops using a medicine when they have a physiological dependence. The symptoms are the body’s reaction to not having the drug. Withdrawal symptoms include: Nausea & vomiting Headaches or dizziness Fever Digestion problems Paranoia or panic Tremors, seizures, or death

OTC & Prescription Drugs Over The Counter Medicine (OTC) A medicine that is sold legally in pharmacies & other stores without a doctor's prescription. Prescription Drugs A drug that can be obtained only with a written order from a doctor and can be purchased only at a pharmacy.

Proper Use, Misuse, Abuse Following all of the instructions on the label Misuse Improper use of the medicines Drug misuse is often by mistake or because of a patient's misunderstanding of a doctor’s orders. Abuse Intentionally using a drug improperly or unsafely. Deliberately taking more than is recommended or taking for purposes other than treating an illness.

Medicine Safety Using Medicines Correctly: Read all the information on the label and follow the directions Only take medicines prescribed for you. Call your doctor if a medicine causes serious side efforts Never combine medicines without checking with your doctor Never drink alcohol while taking medicines Store medicines according to the label’s instructions. How many schedules of drugs are there? 5 Which schedules are illegal? One

Examples of Medical Misuse Giving Prescription to someone else Take Prescription of someone else Take too much or too little Mixing medicines Discontinuing use of meds without telling doctor Taking for longer than told

Health Stats The graph shows the number of new abusers of prescription pain relievers in each year since 1985. What factors do you think are responsible for the increase in prescription drug abuse?

Medicine Safety PDR: Physicians Desk Reference It lists all prescription drugs on the market Are Brand name products always better than generic brands? Most of the time they are from the same assembly line

How Drugs Affect the Brain Area of the brain’s “reward pathway”

How Drugs Affect the Brain Area of the brain’s “reward pathway”

How Drugs Affect the Brain Area of the brain’s “reward pathway”