The Effects Of Drugs On The Health Of Humans

I always had interest in a clinical research career that serves a large number of people by emphasizing more on research studies by exploring whether a medical strategy, treatment or device is safe and effective for humans. As a graduate in medicine, my strong base in the medical field continually challenged and motivated me to expand my skills in patient care. My coursework has allowed me to develop a keen understanding of how disruption in biological systems can influence one’s health.

To illustrate the magnitude of the research problem and provide a frame of reference, this section begins with a brief overview of the increased use of pharmaceuticals and prescription drug abuse in the US. The section continues with the relationship between illicit drugs and prescriptions, adolescents’ abuse, personal and social factors; then concludes with the theoretical approach. The Social-Ecological Theory, will be applied in researching prescription drug abuse, possible influences and protective factors in adolescents in relation to prescription drug abuse, to develop focused intervention strategies and educational programs for this population, similar to other substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.

During the 1970s, a drug U-47700 was created by researchers as an anesthetic, less addictive than a morphine substitute. U-47700 was eventually tossed out and discontinued. The Food and Drug Administration did not approve it for human use. Unfortunately, the patent, which included instructions on how to produce the drug, became public information (Mato, 2016). This resulted in foreign drug manufactures gaining access to the formula through academic journals and patent filings (Blau, 2016). Currently, dealers from out of the country are using the chemical recipe and selling the drug in the United States, (Mato, 2016).

Drug abuse in America is at an all time high across the country. Most people start out with a legit medical issue that leads to a prescription for pain, anxiety, stress, or even trouble concentrating. After repeated prescriptions, the body tends to get use to the medicine, with then leaves the body craving more. In fact, prescription drug abuse is the highest drugs abused my both men and women. Research shows that young adults ages 18 to 25 are the prime abusers of prescription drugs, ADHD drugs as well as anti-anxiety drugs. There several reason why this age group abuse these types of drugs. The reasons include getting high, to feel good, better study habits, stress, and weight loss.

As an employee at Rapoport Pharmacy, I regularly encounter customers of diverse backgrounds. Each person requires different types of medication for all types of ailments. Over time, I’ve become accustomed to familiar names such as oxycodone, a pain relieving narcotic, and lisinopril, a drug used to treat high blood pressure. Being in this unique position, I would often ponder the processes that take place inside a patient’s body. I want learn more not only about the customers and their behaviors, but also about the complex makeup of the medications they take. My job has introduced me to the biological processes and physiological functions of the human body. In extension, I have developed an interest in anatomy. My long term goal is to earn

If the medicinal chemists could synthesize the drugs that I would use for future experimentation, and assuming there is no limit to my funding, I would conduct experiments that would determine the pharmacokinetics, the pharmacodynamics, the

“Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited.” Prescription Drugs are ranked number two in drugs abused (Volkow 7).

They design the drug therapy protocol and indicate the appropriate dosage to use so that patients get the optimal outcome of the medication. Clinical assessments are vital to test the efficiency and the safety of an existing medication specifically through therapeutic drug monitoring. This practice is known to provide effective pharmacologic therapy though producing the maximum benefit of a drug which can remain longer period of time within the patients and have almost no toxicity that could cause harm to patients. This is why therapeutic drug monitoring in the field of pharmacy is essential enough to figure out an effective medication against a disease without any dangerous toxic actions involved to improve patients’ quality of life and hopefully find exceptional cures which is one of the pharmacists’

In the United States every year the percentage of deaths related to overdose increases drastically. Heroin is one of the top drugs in the United States used and cause of overdose. There are numerous types of heroin that is being sold on the streets because of different things however I’m talking about heroin in general. This drug has become a nationwide problem and is affecting many families and friendships who have loved addicted to or using heroin. Once addictions get too bad friends and family begin to distant themselves and the person more than likely start to feel alone and the drug is the only thing to comfort them. Abusers go for the drug that is easier to get ahold of rather going after the drug that is difficult to get their hands on. Heroin has become more prevalent in teenagers and young adults than any other drug, kills more people every year and was made to help those addicted to morphine.

For some people, drugs are a part of everyday life. Drugs are what allow them to be able to walk around in the mornings with no ache, or comfort the pain of a recent surgery, or help and individual cope with anxiety or stress; however, the same drugs that are used to bring enjoyment into one persons life can bring destruction into another. This has become a major problem in the U.S. and all over the world as well. In a recent survey, thirty different clinics, spread out over five urban areas, reported that thirty-six percent of admitted patients has admitted to the nonmedical use of prescription drugs over the past year (Brown, Chaitkin, 1981); consequently, prescription pain killers have lead to more deaths that than heroin and cocaine combined (CDC, 2013).

Ecstasy is both a hallucinogenic, causing hallucination, and a stimulant drug. Ecstasy is the name given to methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck chemist Anton Köllisch. Ecstasy appears to disturb the body 's ability to regulate its temperature and this can lead to serious problems with overheating of the body. Ecstasy can be swallowed as a pill or tablet or snorted like a powder. Users of ecstasy can experience a rush of good feelings, a high, and makes someone 's feelings much more intense, whether they 're good or bad feelings. Ecstasy’s effects usually last up to 6 hours.

Many psychiatric and psychoactive drugs that are available on the market, pharmaceutically or illegally, closely resemble neurotransmitters and are actually able to mimic it to the extent that it fools the receptors. Basically, these drugs hijack the neurotransmitters. Once these drugs are ingested, it enters into the brain, gets into the synapse and binds itself to the receptor. This then causes the inappropriate release of neurotransmitters and alter the breakdown and recycling of neurotransmitters or can be used to destroy particular neurotransmitters completely (Sapolsky, 2005, p. 14).

Pharmacology is the scientific study of the effects of chemical substances on living systems. The chemicals which pharmacologists investigate include normal parts of the body, compounds extracted from other plants or animals, as well as substances arranged by chemists.

As mentioned in class, as well as in the required Krishna (2008) article, the drug development and approval process is an extensive and costly endeavor. The goal of experimental medicine is to increase the efficiency of drug development by providing a better understanding of the drug’s mechanism(s) of action, dose response, efficacy, and safety, allowing the process to be accelerated for the most promising and efficacious candidates (Krishna, Herman, & Wagner, 2008).

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology that seeks to understand drugs and how they affect the body. It involves the analysis of how drugs interact with the biological function of the body and how these drugs react with each other, their natures, and their properties. All drugs are considered chemicals and when ingested into the body an affect from the drug takes place. According to Doweiko (1999), “A drug is essentially a foreign chemical that is introduced into the individual’s body to bring about a specific desired response. There are many forms of drugs and how these drugs are administered in the body determines the kind of result that will take place. The Central Nervous System, (CNS) plays a major role in how these