Drugs and Society Essay

Using a term from the list below, label each scenario with the neuroleptic medication side effect being described.

Case Study in Polypharmacy Option #1 Lauren Finnigan Curry College NSG 2500   Abstract This paper will explore the role of a home care nurse, caring for Mr. Smith, a 78-year-old man living alone in his own home in Quincy, MA. Mr. Smith is diagnosed with CAD, S/p MI- PTCA 2 stents, Hypertension, Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, and BPH. Due to Mr. Smiths multiple diagnoses he is a patient with polypharmacy, meaning he as a patient uses four or more medications. Polypharmacy will be discussed in this paper and the effects of the multiple medication usages among patients.

Human health and theIR quality of life have been improving in the past 100 due to changes in medicine and in public health (Mattes et al., 2013). Patients are placed on multiple medications at the same time and it important to understand their safety, efficacy, drug interaction, and toxicity (Mattes et al., 2013). As Mr. Cynthia Nurse practitioner, my job is to understand what affect her prescribing medication is having on her body. I have place Mrs. Cynthia on Lisinopril for her hypertension and metformin for her type II diabetes.

In the United States today, the elderly make up approximately 13% of the population but use 30% of all prescriptions written. This article focuses on the importance of understanding patients’ prescriptions and their adverse drug events (ADE), as well as the best ways to care for patients with many prescriptions. The article also discusses the best ways to avoid ADEs.

As the population continues to live longer the older adult has had an increase in chronic conditions develop, resulting in an increase in multimorbidity. This causes the older adult to be more vulnerable to disability, poor quality of life, risk of death and adverse drug reactions (Salive, 2013). In general, the older adult is vulnerable to having an adverse reaction to medications. The older adult not only has a higher risk of an adverse reaction to any particular medication given, there is an increase in risk of reactions associated with the multiple medications older adults are frequently prescribed due to multi-chronic conditions (Hubbard, O’Mahony, & Woodhouse, 2013). Adverse drug reaction and multimorbidity can benefit from additional research to better understand the older adult reaction to medications and dosages, as well as management of multimorbidity. Until then physicians, nurses, the older adult, and the family need to collaborate to find the treatment plan that works best with the least amount of side effects from medications. Often times starting low with medication dosing and increasing to the dose to achieve therapeutic levels is done with the older adult to help decrease an adverse reaction to medication. Management of multimorbid conditions in which maximizing the quality of life the older adult has is the goal. This can be done by frequent assessment of the treatment plan and making

7.Compare the ratings of addictive drugs on the controlled drug standard. Give an example of each category.

States are under a burden that seems to be growing out of control. Since “the war on drugs” the prison population has increased exponentially, and the states are trying to keep up with the burden of housing, feeding, and giving medical treatment to prisoners. The state’s financial burden in becoming great and the government is starting to look at treatment measures that could save money. Substance abuse is an overwhelming factor in crime, for example 50% of homicides involve drugs and alcohol. (Parks, G., Marlatt, A. 1999) Treating offenders for substance problems could make the difference in recidivism rates. There are several models of programs the state should consider when deciding treatment options for offenders.

Spearheaded by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the movement known as the “War on Drugs” sought to control the sale and use of psychoactive drugs as well as promote access to treatment for those who abuse and misuse these substances (Bagley, 1988; Elkins, 1990). Policies implemented prohibited the possession and distribution of narcotics (e.g. marijuana, cocaine, heroin); the punitive policies, which often resulted in hefty fines and prison sentences for violators, ultimately prompted the emergence of a black market, more potent and lethal drugs, synthetic drugs as well as led to the increase in organized crime and prison population (Bagley, 1988; Broden, 2013; Cussen & Block, 2000; Elkins, 1990; Friedman, 1991; Henderson, 1990; MacCoun, 1993; Powell, 2013). Despite the initial intention, there was rarely sufficient funding allocated towards achieving the latter goals—of promoting and advocating treatment for drug addicts (Bagley, 1988).

The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate. With five percent of the world's population, our country houses nearly twenty-five percent of the world's reported prisoners. Currently there are approximately two million people in American prisons or jails. Since 1984 the prison population for drug offenders has risen from ten percent to now over thirty percent of the total prison population. Federal prisons were estimated to hold 179,204 sentenced inmates in 2007; 95,446 for drug offenses. State prisons held a total of 1,296,700 inmates in 2005; 253,300 for drug offenses. Sixty percent of the drug offenders in prisons are nonviolent and were purely in prison because of drug offenses (Drug War Facts). The question then arises,

After the deaths of a few kids in our school district due to drug overdoses, we talked about how tolerance to drugs and other factors lead to overdosing. I now have more information on the topic that I thought you might want to know.

2. a) Give a one-sentence explanation of each of the three categories of psychoactive drugs

     Do people ever think about the consequences about drug abuse? Not many of us do but we all know what it does to us. Drugs are harmful to the brain and the body system itself; they affect the heart in many ways and because of that people become unconscious as to what their actions are. They do not realize how badly they can harm the community around them. Drugs are normally used by those who are not involved in activities such as, religious clubs, sports, etc. The users are normally stressed out with life and at times they just need something to set their minds aside from problems which occur in their everyday life. There are many reasons as to why and how drugs affect the community around the drug user

Because of the war on drugs, prison overcrowding is vastly becoming a problem of astronomical proportion, putting a strain not only on the system of law enforcement, but on citizens as well. With studies in DNA and other forensic sciences that can pin point with exact precision the perpetrator of a crime; more and more criminal offenders are being caught, tried, and imprisoned for the crimes they have committed. Many of these crimes are initiated by the use of drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ice, crystal meth, angel dust, PCP, etc. Along with the success of catching these offenders and sentencing them to pay retribution for their crimes, another problem has surfaced—prison overcrowding. Because of

A drug is a chemical substance applied into treating, diagnosing and preventing one from disease infections or a substance that is used by a person to enhance his or her physical and mental state in the perceived effect. Drugs used for different purposes and their effect depend on which cause for usage. It causes both positive and negative consequences directly to the user and in the long-run it affects the whole society or community. Drug addiction is the activity of uncontrollable dependence on a substance by the user no matter the harm caused by its usage. It is a habit that has been in many years hard to curb especially among the youths. “We must recognize that substance abuse and addiction is a disease, not a moral failing or easily abandoned self-indulgence,” (Califano, 2008).The cases of drug abuse have been on the rise over the recent years and resulted in crimes. The cases have a great effect affected the society in general since the reliable energetic youths have turned to drug abuse. However, some measures have been initiated to mitigate, curb and treat drug addiction in the society as outlined in the essay.

The United States is by far the richest and most powerful country in the world. We citizens take for granted luxuries that people of other countries can only dream. Yet in our society there are serious social issues that for reasons unknown are not being addressed. One of the most important issues that typical politicians are afraid to address is that of what to do with the nation’s illegal drug problems. Although we hear terms like "The War on Drugs" and "Drug Treatment", a fresh approach to this issue is needs to come soon.