The Role of Medicines
Lesson #1
Ch. 19
Pg. 524-529
Interactive study
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Objectives
• Objective 1: Identify
differences between
medicines and drugs.
• Objective 2: Describe how
medicines enter the body.
• Objective 3: Review the
effects of medicines on many
different factors.
Types of
Medicines
• Medicines: are drugs that are
used to treat or prevent
diseases or other conditions.
• Drug: are substances other
than food that change
structure or function of the
body or mind.
• Medicines that treat or
prevent illness can be
classified into four broad
categories:
• Medicines that help prevent disease
• Medicines that fight pathogens
• Medicines that relieve pain and other
symptoms
• Medicines that manage chronic
conditions, help maintain or restore
health, and regulate body’s systems
Preventing
Disease
• Vaccines: is a preparation
that prevents a person from
contracting a specific disease.
These medicines contain
weakened or dead pathogens
that cause the disease. Your
body produces memory cells
that recall how to make these
antibodies. Protection from
some vaccines fade over time.
Ex. Tetanus shot.
• Antitoxins: Prevent disease.
They are usually produced by
injecting animals with safe
amounts of a specific toxin.
This stimulates the animals
immune system to produce
antibodies. These antibodies
are then used to make
antitoxins.
Fighting
Pathogens
• Antibiotics: Class of drug
that destroy disease causing
microorganisms called
bacteria.
• Antibiotics such as
penicillin work either by
killing harmful bacteria in
the body or by preventing
bacteria from reproducing.
• Bacteria can develop
resistance in 2 ways:
• When antibiotics are
overused
• When the patient does not
finish taking the full
prescription. The may
develop a resistance or
immunity to that antibiotic.
Fighting
Pathogens
• Virus: Are piece of genetic
material surrounded by a
protein coat. They penetrate a
host cell to reproduce,
eventually killing the cell.
Viruses usually run their course
and eventually are killed by the
immune system
• Antiviral: medications often
only suppress the virus; they
don’t kill it.
• Antifungals: can suppress or
kill fungus cells, such as
athlete’s foot
and ringworm.
Medicines that
relieve pain
• Analgesics: also know
as pain relievers
• Mild medicines: aspirin
• Strong medicines:
Narcotics such as
morphine and codeine.
• Aspirin is used to relieve
pain an reduce fever.
• Other analgesics fight
inflammation, swelling,
and fever.
Medicines that
relieve pain
• Aspirin can be dangerous.
People under 20 should
not be given aspirin
unless directed by a
doctor.
• Reye’s syndrome is a
potentially life threating
illness of the brain & liver.
• Some people take
ibuprofen which is
recommended for
children.
• Certain medication
(narcotics) can be
addictive
Managing
Chronic
Conditions
• Antihistamines: allergy
medicines
• Insulin: used to treat diabetes
• Zoloft & Prozac: used to treat
depression
• Chemotherapy: Using special
drugs to shrink or kill the
cancer. The drugs can be pills
you take or medicines given
through an intravenous (IV)
tube, or, sometimes, both.
(center for disease control)
• Radiation: destroys cancer
cells, or prevents them from
growing, by directing highenergy X-rays (radiation) at
the cells. (center for disease
control)
• Many, many more!!
Medicine
Interactions
• Side effects: Reactions to
medicine other than the one
intended.
• Synergist effect: an interaction
of two or more medicines that
results in a greater effect than
when the medicines are taken
alone.
• Antagonistic interaction: When
the effect of one medicine is
canceled or reduced when taken
with another.
• Additive interaction: When
medicines work together in a
positive way. Ex. An antiinflammatory and muscle
relaxer for joint pain.
Tolerance &
Withdrawal
• Tolerance: a condition in
which the body becomes
used to the effect of a
medicine. The body
requires increasingly larger
doses to receive the same
effect.
• Withdrawal: When a person
stops using a medicine
which he/she has become
physiologically dependent.
• Symptoms include;
nervousness, insomnia,
severe headaches, vomiting,
chills, & cramps. These go
away over time.
Dependence
• Psychological dependence: a
person believes that a
drug is needed in order to
feel good or function
normally.
• Physiological dependence:
The user has a chemical
need for the drug. The
person may experience
different levels of
withdrawals and in some
cases death.