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Understanding Drugs and Medications

Understanding Drugs and Medications. What are drugs? Where do drugs come from? What are the different kinds of drugs and medicines? How do they enter the body? How do you read a prescription and properly use medications? . What are drugs?.

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Understanding Drugs and Medications

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  1. Understanding Drugs and Medications What are drugs? Where do drugs come from? What are the different kinds of drugs and medicines? How do they enter the body? How do you read a prescription and properly use medications?

  2. What are drugs? A substance that causes a change in a person’s physical or psychological state

  3. Where do drugs come from? • Natural sources- plants, animals and fungi • Chemical laboratory

  4. What are the different kinds of drugs? • Medicines: antibiotics, pain killers • Drugs legal for everyone: caffeine • Drugs legal for adults: alcohol, tobacco • Illegal drugs: marijuana, cocaine, heroin

  5. Where do you get drugs? • Rx- prescription: a written order from a doctor for a specific medicine 2. OTC- over the counter, bought without a prescription at any store 3. Illegally on the street

  6. Drugs used as medicines: What are the criteria for using them? • Any drug that is used to cure, prevent or treat illness or discomfort • Effective: good at carrying out its intended purpose • Safety: does minimal or small damage or side effect • Side effect: a reaction to the body caused by a drug effect that was not intended

  7. How do drugs enter the body? 1. Inhalation: absorbed through the blood vessels in the lungs 2. Ingestion: swallowed and absorbed through the blood vessels in the intestines 3. Injection: injected directly into the blood stream by a needle 4. Implanted pump: surgically implanted pump injects directly into the blood stream 5. Topical application: absorbed through the skin 6. Transdermalpatch: packaged into a patch and placed on a specific part of the skin

  8. How does a drug become legal? • The FDA Food and Drug Administration was created in 1906 to control the safety of drugs used in the US • To develop a new drug for use on the market for Rx or OTC usage the following protocol must be used • Testing of the new drug in 5 phases 1. Lab cultures 2. Animals 3. Human volunteers 4. Clinical trials 5. Approval by FDA

  9. What information is on the label of a prescription? • Very important to follow the directions and know your medication • Dose: How much should you take? Measured amount or pills • When: AM, PM, after/before food, etc… • How often: 1x, 2x, daily every 6 hours, etc… • Length of Time: days/ weeks/ months • Expiration date: when the drug should be used by

  10. What information is on the label of a prescription? Continued • Side Effects: what symptoms are caused that are not desired • Drug/Food Interactions: restrictions that you may have to avoid certain types of food/drugs while taking the medication • RX numberDate Rx was filled • Name of medication # of Refills • Name of patient • Pharmacy’s name and address • Pharmacist who filled the Rx • Directions from the Doctor

  11. What is America’s most popular drug? • Caffeine is a stimulant • 80-90% of American’s consume some form of caffeine • Coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, soda • Addictive drug • Disrupts the normal working brain chemical adenosine, which induces sleep • When you consume caffeine it helps you stay alert or awake

  12. What are the types of medicines?

  13. What are the types of medicines?

  14. America’s most Popular Drug • The coffee industry accounts for over 10 billion dollars a year • The soft drink industry accounts for over 50 billion dollars a year

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