MAY IS DRUG AWARENESS MONTH

May 4 DRUGS - The Good and the Bad

A drug is defined as any chemical naturally occurring or synthetically produced when applied
to or ingested by an organism results in diminished ,enhanced, altered or destroyed
physiological functions and may result in adverse effects depending on the strength or
dosage.

From this definition a drug can be both harmful or beneficial depending on its usage and
dosage.

Air and water can then be classified as drugs with both good and bad effects. They are both
chemicals . Air is composed of 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen and the rest are assorted gases.
Inhalation of air results in enhanced function of the body but injection of air about 50 cc or
more directly into the vein , can result into an air embolism. The oxygen that we breathe
through the lungs easily diffuses into the bloodstream and is transported into the different
body cells . Whereas air that is directly injected into the vein, clump together and blocked the
passage of blood into the different organs hereby causing death

Water is a chemical compound with the two elements of two molecules of hydrogen and one
molecule of oxygen. This liquid is very important in bodily functions like breathing,
transportation of nutrients as blood is about 50% water, the integrity of the cells, waste
elimination, brain processes like thinking plus decision making and many others. But when
taken into excess water can lead to weakness, loss of consciousness ,and even death due to
internal drowning.

With the examples of water and air as drugs, let us be aware that drugs of both negative and
positive effects. Throw away the false notion that drugs are only harmful. They have their
benefits when properly and judiciously used.

May 11 ASPIRIN-Life Saving and Death Producing

Nearly all households keep a bottle of aspirin for immediate use for headache, toothache and
fever. This drug comes from the bark of a Willow tree and was used as far back as 3500
years ago. In 1897, buyer a German chemical factory synthesized the drug into its tablet form
with the following uses aside from headache and fever.

1. Prevention of secondary heart attacks- for those who had a previous heart attack, a
daily maintenance helps to prevent another episode.

2. Those with a sudden heart attack, have being helped in the prevention of further
damage to the heart by aspirin administration. Aspirin or ASA prevents blood from
sticking together preventing further blockage seen in this situation.
Adverse or Bad Effects of Aspirin
 1. This drug can cause bleeding of the stomach and intestines when taken for longer
periods of time. This bleeding can be fatal as many times it is not immediately
detected. Bleeding can also happen inside the brain leading to hemorrhagic strokes.
2. For those allergic to aspirin, an accidental dose can lead to exacerbated allergic
response like wheezing, difficulty of breathing, spasm of the bronchus and even
death. Caution and vigilance are required for those with hypersensitivity to aspirin.
3. Children below 19 years old with fever and headache should not be given aspirin.
This can lead to Reye’s Syndrome a condition with swelling and edema of the brain
resulting in coma and death.

May 18- KETAMINE- An Anesthetic with Other Uses

This is an injectable anesthetic drug used for short term surgical procedures like reduction of
dislocations of the hips or shoulder, closed reduction of fractured bones, suturing of wounds
and other similar situations. This anesthetic is useful in rural areas and in war zones as it does
not require an anesthetic machine for administration.

Side or adverse effects include hallucinations, short term loss of memory and confusion. It
can also cause transient and sudden increase in heart rate and elevated blood pressure. This
anesthetic is to be given judiciously to those with high blood pressure or abnormal heart
rhythm as a sudden rise in blood pressure can result in a heart attack or stroke. Ketamine can
also cause respiratory depression and a high dose can lead to cessation of breathing.

Due to its hallucinogenic effect and dream like state, it is illegally used as a recreational drug
with users wanting to have a trip or get high. Another devilish use is as a date rape drug as it
results in short term memory loss. Date rape is a situation when a drug is given to a victim to
lower or eliminate resistance for illegal or illicit sexual activities by the perpetuator without
the consent of the victim. The victim due to Ketamine does not remember the incident.

Depression is one of the most common mental disorder in modern society. There are first line
of medications for this condition but about 30% do not to respond to this type of treatment.
Low dose of Ketamine has been found out to be effective in treating unipolar depression
giving back the sunshine to those who live in darkness.

May 25 PRESCRIPTION FOR JET LAG

One of the bad effects of international travel is jet lag or sleep lack. This is due to the number
of different time zones to be traversed to reach a destination. The more the disparity in time
from the place of origin, the more the difficulty of adjusting to the time at your destination.
This is also compounded by cramped and full flights plus many of the flight schedules are
during inconvenient hours. How can we cope with jet lag so we can relish a beautiful
experience in our destination? Here are some tips:

1. If you require to be immediately functional upon arrival, make it a point to arrive a

day or two earlier so you can catch up with sleep loss and your body is able to adapt
to the new environment.
2. Set your watch to the time at your destination to pre-condition your brain rather than
keep referring to the time in the place of your departure.
 3. Be well hydrated during the flight with water preferably or the second option is fruit
juices. Inside an airplane, you are not aware that you are losing lots of fluids.
4. Grab as much sleep during the flight.
5. Here are some medications you can use:
a. Melatonin- a hormone produced by the body for sleeping and synthetically
produced as tablets to aid in sleeping. The pineal gland in the brain produces
melatonin when exposed to darkness hereby inducing sleep. Take one tablet
right after boarding.
b. Anti-histamines or anti-allergy medications. If you do not respond to
melatonin, this is another alternative. It is for allergies but has the adverse
effect of drowsiness like Benadryl or Chlorpheneramine maleate.
c. Combination of both- If any of the two above fails, you can try using them
both to get synergy.
d. Sedatives or sleeping pills are not recommended as they can be habit forming
in a short period of use like two weeks onward.
6. Do not sleep during the day. If you are feeling drowsy, take a cold shower, do brisk
walking or jogging to jolt your brain from stupor. When sleepiness become so heavy,
take a 20-30 minute nap but do not succumb to sleeping for a longer period of time or
you will have difficulty sleeping at night.
7. Instead of counting sheeps for you to sleep, a much better alternative is counting your
blessings as a lullaby to dream land.

Disclaimer The articles on drugs are intended for information and education and not as a
prescription. See you medical doctor for any prescription related to your situation.