Assignment: Risk-benefits of drug use

Assignment: Risk-benefits of drug use
Assignment: Risk-benefits of drug use
This assignment will be a continuation of the written assignment from Week One. Research a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles in addition to information from your text on the disorder you chose in Week One. Consider the key classes of drugs used to treat the disorder you chose in Week One and explain their action at the neurotransmitter system involved in the disease process. Analyze and describe the agonist-antagonist activity of the drugs and the receptor types and subtypes involved in the disorder. Elaborate on the receptor agonist-antagonist actions of the drugs and describe the most common side effects seen with these drugs. Evaluate the risk-benefits of drug use for this disorder.
The paper:
Must be three to five double-spaced pages in length, excluding title page and references page, and it must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Your name
Course name and number
Your instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must use at least three peer-reviewed sources in addition to the text.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Carefully review the for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
For many people, taking medication is a regular part of their daily routine, and these medicines are relied upon to treat disease and improve health. Although medicines can make you feel better and help you get well, it’s important to know that all medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, have risks as well as benefits. Assignment: Risk-benefits of drug use
The benefits of medicines are the helpful effects you get when you use them, such as lowering blood pressure, curing infection, or relieving pain. The risks of medicines are the chances that something unwanted or unexpected could happen to you when you use them. Risks could be less serious things, such as an upset stomach, or more serious things, such as liver damage. Here are some tips from the Food and Drug Administration and some of its public health partners to help you weigh the risks and benefits when you make decisions about the medicines you use.Assignment: Risk-benefits of drug use
Managing Risk
When a medicine’s benefits outweigh its known risks, the FDA considers it safe enough to approve. But before using any medicine–as with many things that you do every day–you should think through the benefits and the risks in order to make the best choice for you.
There are several types of risks from medicine use:
The possibility of a harmful interaction between the medicine and a food, beverage, dietary supplement (including vitamins and herbals), or another medicine. Combinations of any of these products could increase the chance that there may be interactions.
The chance that the medicine may not work as expected.
The possibility that the medicine may cause additional problems.
For example, every time you get into a car, there are risks. You could have an accident, causing costly damage to your car, or injury to yourself or a loved one. But there are also benefits to riding in a car: You can travel farther and faster than walking, bring home more groceries from the store, and travel in cold or wet weather in greater comfort.
To obtain the benefits of riding in a car, you think through the risks. You consider the condition of your car and the road, for instance, before deciding to make that trip to the store.
The same is true before using any medicine. Every choice to take a medicine involves thinking through the helpful effects as well as the possible unwanted effects.
Here are some specific ways to lower the risks and obtain the full benefits of medicines:
Talk With Your Doctor, Pharmacist, or Other Health Care Professionals
Keep an up-to-date, written list of all the medicines (prescription and over-the-counter) and dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbals, that you use–even those you only use occasionally.
Share this list with all of your health care professionals.
Tell them about any allergies or sensitivities that you may have.
Tell them about anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing or remembering to take them.
Tell them if you are or might become pregnant, or if you are nursing a baby.
Always ask your health care professional questions about any concerns or thoughts that you may have.