Understanding Medicines

1. Understanding Medicines

2. Medicine • Definition: substances that, when taken internally or applied to the body, help prevent or cure a disease or other medical problem • Classifications • Prevent disease • Fight pathogens • (microorganisms that enter the body and attack its cells and tissues) • Relieve pain • Help the heart and regulate blood pressure

3. Medicines that prevent disease • Vaccines • Contain a weakened or dead pathogen to a particular disease • Given to prevent one from contracting that disease • When the body is exposed to the vaccine it makes antibodies against that disease • These antibodies stay in the body so when exposed to the real disease the body is prepared to fight it off • Antitoxins • Extracts of blood fluids that contain antibodies • Act more quickly than vaccines • Are made by inoculating animals and uses their antibodies • Injected into human after a possible exposure

4. Medicines that fight pathogens • Antibiotics • Chemical agents that destroy disease causing microorganisms but leave the patient unharmed • Penicillin- discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming • They either kill the bacteria or stop it from reproducing • ARE NOT affective against viruses • Several bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics • When someone doesn’t take the full amount of an antibiotic, or stops taking it early, the bacteria becomes more resistant to that antibiotic

5. Medicine to relieve pain • Analgesics • OTC analgesics can be harmful • Stomach irritation- ulcers • Thins the blood making clotting difficult • Dizziness and tinnitus • Reye’s syndrome in children (illness of brain and liver) • Common OTC analgesics • Aspirin • Ibuprofen (Advil)- anti-inflammatory • Acetaminophen (Tylenol) • Narcotics • Prescription only • Can be highly addictive • Commonly derivatives of morphine and codeine

6. Analgesics (Pain Relievers) • Aspirin: relieve pain and reduce fever -Blood Thinner -upset stomach, dizziness and ringing in ears -Reye’s Syndrome (brain and liver) • Recommended for your age: -Acetaminophen • Analgesics have a full range from mild to strong -Strong=Narcotics examples?

7. Managing Chronic Conditions • Treat long term illnesses, maintain or restore health, offer a higher level of wellness.-Allergy Medicines: Antihistamines reduce allergy symptoms by blocking the chemical release from the immune system. Life threatening=single shot of epinephrine • Body-regulating medicines: help regulate body chemistry-Insulin, Inhaler, cardiovascular • Antidepressant and Antipsychotic: Help regulate brain chemistry or stabilize moods. • Cancer Treatments: slow or stop the growth of the cancer cells.

8. Cardiovascular medicines • Five types • Beta blockers- helps slow heart rate and lower blood pressure • Diuretics- decreases water and sodium, reducing blood fluid volume, especially important after heart failure • Vasodilators- dilate blood vessels to increase blood and oxygen flow • Antiarrhythmic- help control abnormal heart rhythms • Clot- Dissolving – lower hypertension and prevents blot clotting

9. How Medicines can Enter the Body • There are four ways they can enter • 1. oral medications (by mouth) • 2. topical medications (through the skin) • 3. Inhaled medications (breathed in through the lungs) • 4. Injected medications (through a needle, or bite)

10. Reactions in the body • Be aware of side effects. • When two medicines are taken together or taken with certain foods- the effect may not be the same when the medicine is taken by itself. • Additive interactions- when medicines work together in a positive way • Synergistic effect- when two or more medicines react resulting in a greater effect than when taken alone • Antagonistic interaction- when the effect of a medicine is cancelled or reduced by another medicine • Tolerance- when the body becomes used to the effects and so needs more to get same results • Withdrawal- when someone stops using a medicine and the body reacts to the lack of it in the system

11. Medicine Safety • Always keep medicine in the original container, with the original label. • Store medicine out of reach of children. • If children are in the house always use the child proof caps provided. • Throw out ALL medicines after their expiration dates. • Know the possible side effects. • Use medicine as directed and for the entire time directed.

12. Medicine Misuse • Definition: using a medication in a way other than the one intended. • Examples of misuse • Giving your prescription to someone else • Taking too much or too little of the medication • Taking someone else’s medication • Stopping use without informing the prescribing doctor • Taking medicine longer then directed • Mixing medicines without direction to do so from a doctor

13. Medicine Abuse • Intentionally taking medications for nonmedical reasons. -to lose weight -to stay awake -to fit in -”pill parties” -taking someone else's prescription

14. Drug Overdose • A strong sometimes fatal reaction to taking a large amount of a drug.

15. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) • Makes sure all drugs are safe to use • Finds out what possible side effects there are • Doesn’t regulate Herbal and Dietary Supplements • Goes through clinical Trials, could still be experimental.

16. Prescription Medicines: medicines that are dispensed only with the written approval of licensed physician or nurse practitioner. • Over-the-Counter (OTC): medicines you can buy without a doctor’s prescription.