Use And Abuse Of Drugs Flashcards
What do drugs do?
Affect our body chemistry
What are the two types of drugs?
Medical
Recreational
What happens when new medical drugs are devised?
Extensive tests and trials to see if they’re safe
What are the 3 things tested for?
Toxicity
Efficacy
Optimum dose
What are the 2 types of trials?
Laboratory
Clinical trials
What happens in a clinical trial?
At first, very low doses
If sage, further trials take place to find optimum dose
What are the 2 types of trials?
Blind trials
Double blind trials
What are the two groups in clinical trials?
A - placebo group
B - actual drugs
What is a blind trial?
Where the volunteers don’t know which group they’re in but the researchers do
What is a double blind trial?
Where neither the volunteer or doctor knows which group has the placebo and which group does not
Why are statins used?
They lower the risk of heart and circulatory diseases
What was thalidomide first developed as?
A sleeping pill
What was it then found to be effective in?
Relieving morning sickness in pregnant women
What was the problem with the use on pregnant women?
It had not been tested on them and so the side effects where unknown
What we’re the consequences to pregnant women and their babies who took the drug?
The babies had severe limb abnormalities/deformities
