DRUGS

➢ A drug is any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in the body.
➢ The drug may be one taken legally to reduce a symptom such as a headache or to treat a bacterial infection (medicinal drugs), but it could also
be one taken – often illegally – to provide stimulation or induce sleep or create hallucinations (recreational drugs).
➢ Drugs are present in many products such as: tea, coffee and ‘energy drinks’ (caffeine); tobacco (nicotine); and alcoholic drinks (alcohol) which,
although legal, can cause serious effects when taken excessively or over extended periods of time.
Medicinal drugs
➢ Any substance used in medicine to help our bodies fight illness or disease is called a drug.
Antibiotics
➢ These are substances extracted from microorganisms to control bacterial infections
➢ The ideal drug for curing disease would be a chemical that destroys the pathogen without harming the tissues of the host. In practice, modern
antibiotics such as penicillin come pretty close to this ideal for bacterial infections.
➢ Most of the antibiotics we use come from bacteria or fungi that live in the soil.
➢ The best-known antibiotic is penicillin, which is produced by the mould fungus Penicillium
How antibiotics work
➢ Some of them disrupt the production of the cell wall and so prevent the bacteria from reproducing, or even cause them to burst open
➢ Some interfere with protein synthesis and thus arrest bacterial growth
➢ Animal cells do not have cell walls, and the cell structures involved in protein production are different.
➢ Consequently, antibiotics do not damage human cells although they may produce some side effects such as allergic reactions.
➢ Not all bacteria are killed by antibiotics. Some bacteria have a nasty habit of mutating to forms that are resistant to these drugs.
➢ For this reason, it is important not to use antibiotics in a diluted form, for too short a period or for trivial complaints.
➢ These practices lead to a build-up of a resistant population of bacteria.
➢ The drug resistance can be passed from harmless bacteria to pathogens.
➢ It is important to note that antibiotics are ineffective in the treatment of viral diseases.
➢ This is because antibiotics work by disrupting structures in bacteria such as cell walls and membranes, or processes associated with protein
synthesis and replication of DNA.
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➢ Viruses have totally different characteristics to bacteria, so antibiotics do not affect them
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Misused drugs
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i) Narcotics
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➢ Heroin, morphine and codeine belong to a group of drugs called narcotics, made from opium.
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➢ Heroin and morphine act as powerful depressants: they relieve severe pain and produce short-lived feelings of wellbeing and freedom from
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anxiety.
➢ They can both lead to tolerance and physical dependence within weeks, so they are prescribed with caution, to patients in severe pain.
Heroin
➢ Is a strong depressant
Effects
➢ Reduces hunger so malnutrition occurs
➢ Sharing needles can spread diseases
➢ The illegal use of heroin has terrible effects on the unfortunate addict. The overwhelming dependence on the drug leads many addicts into
prostitution and crime in order to obtain the money to buy it.
➢ It initially dulls the senses and produces a feeling of well being
➢ It increases reaction time
Withdrawal symptoms
➢ Anxiety
➢ Watery eyes
➢ Stomach upsets
➢ muscle aches
➢ Vomiting and diarrhoea
➢ Convulsions and hallucinations
➢ Sweating
➢ Abdominal cramping
Alcohol
➢ The alcohol in wines, beer and spirits is a depressant of the central nervous system.
➢ Small amounts give a sense of wellbeing, with a relief from anxiety.
➢ However, this is accompanied by a fall-off in performance in any activity requiring skill. It also gives a misleading sense of confidence
Effects of alcohol
➢ Slows down impulse transmission hence increasing reaction time
➢ Impairs speech by affecting the cerebrum
➢ Increases acidity in the stomach and can cause stomach ulcers
➢ Can cause liver cirrhosis (shrinkage and wasting away of the liver)
➢ Reduces sperm count, so may lead to male infertility
➢ Causes vasodilation, giving a sensation of warmth but in fact leading to a greater loss of body heat (hypothermia)
➢ A concentration of 500 mg of alcohol in 100 cm3 of blood results in unconsciousness. More than this will cause death because it stops the
breathing centre in the brain.
➢ The liver treats alcohol as a toxin: 90% of alcohol taken in is detoxified in the liver (along with other toxins)

Effects of tobacco smoke on human health

Chemicals in tobacco smoke Properties of the chemical Effects on the body

Nicotine ➢ Addictive
➢ Causes release of the ➢ Increase in heartbeat and blood pressure
hormone adrenaline ➢ Increased risk of blood clots in blood vessels
➢ Makes blood clot easily
Carbon monoxide ➢ Combines with haemoglobin ➢ Death if concentrations in the air are increased by
to form 1%
carboxyhaemoglobin-
reduces oxygen transport
efficiency of red blood cells ➢ Increased risk of atherosclerosis
➢ Increases the rate of fatty
deposits on the inner arterial ➢ Increased risk of blood clotting in the arteries
walls
➢ Damages the lining of blood
vessels
Tar ➢ Is carcinogenic (contains ➢ Blockage in the air sacs and reduction in gas
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cancer causing chemicals) exchange efficiency

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➢ Paralyses cilia lining the air ➢ Dust particles trapped in the mucus lining the
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passages airways cannot be removed

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Irritants (e.g. hydrogen cyanide, ➢ Paralyses cilia lining the air ➢ Increased risk of chronic bronchitis and
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acrolein, formaldehyde) passages emphysema

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➢ Excessive smoking can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and coronary heart disease
➢ The term, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) covers a number of lung diseases, which include chronic bronchitis, emphysema and
chronic obstructive airways disease.
➢ A person suffering from COPD will experience difficulties with breathing, mainly because of narrowing of the airways (bronchi and bronchioles).
➢ Symptoms of COPD include breathlessness when active, frequent chest infections and a persistent cough with phlegm (sticky mucus).