Drugs

Drugs

Drugs change your body chemistry
1. Some of the chemical changes caused by drugs can lead to the body becoming addicted to the drug. If the drug isnt taken an addict can suffer physical withdrawal symptoms and these are sometimes very unpleasent
2. Drugs can be Medicinal, Recreational or Performance-Enhancing
  1. Medicinal drugs are medically useful like antibiotics. For some of these drugs you dont need a prescription but for others you do because they can be dangerous if misused
  2. Recreational drugs are used for fun. These can be legal or illegal
  3. Performance enhancing drugs can improve a persons performance in sport
    1. Can have health and Ethical Impacts
      1. There are several different types including anabolic steroids (increase muscle size) and stimulants (increase heart rate)
      2. These drugs can have negative health effects e.g. steroids can cause high blood pressure
      3. Some of these drugs are banned by law some are prescription only but all are banned by sporting bodies
      4. Ethical problems
        For drugs
        Athletes have the right to make their own decision about whether taking drugs is worth the risk or not
        Drug free sport isnt really fair anyway different athletes have access to different training facilities, coaches, equipment ect
        Against
        Its unfair if people gain an advantage by taking drugs not just through training.
        Athletes may not be fully informed of the serious health risks of the drugs they take
Drug Claims
1. Statins
  1. Statins are prescribed drugs used to lower the risk of heart and circulatory disease
  2. Theres evidence that statins lower blood cholesterol and significantly lower the risk of heart disease in diabetic patients
  3. The original research was done by government scientists with no connection to the manufacturers
  4. It compared two groups of patients those who had taken statins and those who hadnt
2. Cannabis
  1. Cannabis is an illegal drug. Scientists have investigated whether the chemicals in cannabis smoke cause mental health problems
  2. The results vary and are sometimes open to different interpretations
Testing Medicinal Drugs
1. Three main stages
  1. 1. Drugs are tested on human cells and tissues in the lab
    1. However you cant use human cells and tissues to test drugs that affect whole or multiple body systems e.g. testing a drug for blood pressure must be done on a whole animal because it has an intact circulatory system
    2. 2. Test the drugs on live animals
      1. This is to see whether the drug works to find out about its toxicity (how harmful it is) and the best dosage
      2. The law in britain states that new drugs must be tested on two different live mammal. Some people think its cruel to test on animals but others believe this is the safest way to make sure a drug isnt dangerous before its given to humans
      3. 3. If the drug passes the tests on animals then its tested on human volunteers in a clinical trial
        1. First the drug is tested on healthy volunteers. This is to make sure that it doesnt have any harmful side effects when the body is working normally. At the start of the trial a very low dose of the drug is given and this is gradually increased
        2. If the results of the tests on healthy volunteers are good, the drugs can be tested on people suffering from the illness. The optimum dose is found - this is the dose of drug that is the most effective and has few side effects
        3. To test how well the drug works, patients are put into two groups. One is given the new drug the other is given a placebo. This is so the doctor can see the actual difference the drug makes - it allows for the placebo effect
        4. Clinical trials are blind the patient in the study doesnt know whether they are getting the drug or the placebo. In fact they are often double blinded neither the patient nor the doctor knows until all the results have been gathered. This is so the doctors monitoring the patients and analysing the results arent subconsciously influenced by their knowledge
Recreational drugs
1. Recreational drugs can be illegal or legal
  1. Illegal drugs are often divided into two main classes soft and hard. Hard drugs are usually thought of as being seriously addictive and generally more harmful
  2. But the terms soft and hard are a bit vague they are not scientific descriptions and you can certainly have problems with soft drug use
  3. Various reasons
    1. When asked why they use cannabis most users quote either simple enjoyment, relaxation or stress relief.
    2. But very often this turns out to be not the whole story there may be other factors in the users background or personal life which influence them in choosing to use drugs. Its a personal thing and often pretty complicated
2. Some studies link cannabis and hard drug use
  1. Cannabis is a stepping stone. The effects of cannabis create a desire to try harder drugs
  2. Cannabis a gateway drug. Cannabis use brings people into contact with drug dealers
  3. Its all down to genetics: Certain people are more likely to take drugs generally so cannabis users will also try other drugs
3. Some Legal drugs have more of an impact that Illegal drugs
  1. Smoking
    1. Smoking causes disease of the heart, blood vessels and lungs
    2. Tobacco smoke causes cancer
    3. Nicotine is the drug found in cigarettes its addictive so its hard to stop smoking
  2. Alcohol
    1. Alcohol affects the nervous system and slows down the bodys reactions
    2. Too much alcohol leads to impaired judgement, poor coordination and unconsiousness
    3. Excessive drinking can damage the liver and the brain
    4. Alcohol is addictive

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	Created by sian.allison about 10 years ago