DRUGS AND MEDICINE

SECTION 1 DRUGS

• A drug is any substance that causes a change in a person's physical/physiological state.
• Medicine is the drug that is used to treat an illness
• Drugs can have many side effects, which are effects different from the ones intended
• Cocaine, alcohol , and , marijuana are drugs of abuse.
• People take these drugs for mind altering effects.

SECTION 1 CONT.

• Any drug that effects the brain can lead to permanent damage
• Medicine can be classified by what they do
• Classification=analgesic,antihistamine,antacid,antibiotics,bronchodilator,steroid,anti-flammatory, hormone, stimulant, anti anxiety, vaccine, sedative
• Some medicines require a prescription while others can be purchased over the counter.
• Antihistamines - block the action of the chemical histamine which causes allergies

SECTION 1 CONT

• Analgesics- relieves pain
• Antacids-work against stomach acid which causes heartburn
• How they enter your body :
• Impanted pumps- surgically implanted pumps that inject drugs directly into your body
• Inhalation-enters through blood vessels in lungs when inhaled

SECTION 1 CONT

• Transdermal patches-drug is packaged im patches which are placed on the skim
• Ingestion -swallowed and absorbed through blood vessels in intestines
• Topical application -applied to skin directly and absorbed into body

SECT. 2 DRUGS AS MEDICINES

CONT.

• Otc drugs include analgesics, cold remedies & antacids
• Generic medicine- made by company that developed original med
• Active ingredient- chemical component that gives medicine action
• Always read label on medicine!
• -could lead to side effects

CONT.

• Allergic reactions-most serious risk about taking medicine
• ---penicillin is known for causing this
• Anaphylactic shock- severe allergic response that includes the following
• ---itching, swelling, wheezing, pounding heart, fainting

CONT.

• Side effects:
• ---diarrhea, drowsiness, loss of lining in stomach, ulcers
• Drug interactions-when another drug reacts to increase or decrease the effect

USING MEDICINE WISELY

• Make yourself apart of your own health care team
• Prepare to ask questions
• Learn about your medicine
• Listen to your body
• Speak up and enlist your parents help

SECTION 3 DRUGS AND THE BRAIN

• Synapses- info. processing in the brain takes place at connections b/w neurons
• Neurotransmitter- one neuron releases a special chemical messenger
• --it moves across the synapse & attaches to the neuron that receives it
• ---this attachment is called binding, the receiving if the chemical message
• Drugs change the way neurons communicate together, changes our senses

CONT.

• Antidepressant- drug that reduces depressions
• Marijuana, cocaine, & nicotine interrupt the brain's balance
• Addiction- person can no longer control his/her drug use

BRAIN REWARD SYSTEM

• All drugs of abuse activate the brain & work together to create this
• -serves to reinforce healthy behavior
• Neurons release dopaphime, makes us feel pleasure
• Drugs makes this pleasure feel greater

DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE

• Getting pleasure is one reason why people abuse drugs
• Every addict starts as someone experimenting with drugs
• Adolescent brains are more vulnerable to the effects of drugs
• Mainly because there still growing and developing

TOLERANCE & DEPENDENCE

• Tolerance is when it takes more of a drug to feel the same effect felt when first using it
• Physical dependence is when the body relies on drugs so that it can function normally
• Physiological dependence is when your emotionally and mentally dependent on a drug
• Neurons try to cancel the effects by becoming more/less responsive to neurotransmitters

ADDICTION

• When people become addicted to drugs they lose control of their behavior
• They use drugs to deal with their emotional problems
• They become distrustful and paranoid
• An addicts brain is very different from a normal brain
• That's why addiction is called a brain disorder

WITHDRAWAL/TREATABLE DISEASE

• Uncomfortable physical and physiological symptoms produced when a dependent drug user stops using drugs
• Craving the drug is the brains way of telling the body it needs more of the drug
• Drug abusers and addicts free themselves from drug dependency every day
• Most communities offer treatment programs
• They receive counseling and help to get off of the drug

CONT. TREATABLE DISEASE

• Counseling helps them cope with life w/o the drug
• Despite the brain and behavioal changes they can still recover
• 2/3 if 16 yr olds dont drink alcohol . 80% don't smoke or use marijua
• 99% don't use ecstasy or cocaine
• One way to avoid addiction is to never use drugs of abuse