The use and abuse of drugs (B1) Flashcards
What is a drug and how do you become addicted to drugs?
Scientists think that all addictive drugs activate the brain’s ‘reward system’, by increasing the release of the chemical dopamine from neurons in key areas of the brain. Dopamine release occurs after pleasurable experiences, for example after food or sex, but can also be induced by some drugs.
a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
What are the issues about performance enhancing drugs?
Unfair advantage.
Creates an uneven playing field
Can harm your body
Can suffer later in life
What are the stages in the development of a new drug?
The drugs are tested using computer models and human cells grown in the laboratory. Many substances fail this test because they damage cells or do not seem to work.
Drugs that pass the first stage are tested on animals. In the UK, new medicines have to undergo these tests, but it is illegal to test cosmetics and tobacco products on animals. A typical test involves giving a known amount of the substance to the animals, then monitoring them carefully for any side-effects.
Drugs that have passed animal tests are used in clinical trials. They are tested on healthy volunteers to check they are safe. Very low doses of the drug are given to begin with. If there are no problems, further clinical trials are done to find the optimum dose for the drug.
