Straight talk on prescription drugs

This article is based on an interview conducted by a teen reporter with Dr. Nora D. Volkow discussing the dangers of prescription-drug abuse among teens.

Before-reading discussion

When you are prescribed a drug by your doctor, what information are you given on how to take a medication? Do you always follow those guidelines exactly?

While-reading

Read the answers and think of the possible questions.

Assignment: You may hear information about prescription drugs in the news, online, or from friends. How do you know what’s true? There’s a lot to consider, and many teens have questions. Read on for answers to some frequently asked questions from teens.

Q: ________________________________________________________?

A: A prescription is a doctor’s written order that authorizes a pharmacist to supply a specific medication for a patient, with instructions on its use. It says who can take the medication, in what amount, and for what length of time. Used exactly according to a doctor’s instructions, prescription drugs are usually safe and effective.

Q: _______________________________________________________?

A: A doctor writes a prescription based on a patient’s medical history, symptoms, and other factors. The doctor asks questions such as, «Are you allergic to any medications?» and «Are you currently taking any other medicines?» These questions help the doctor decide which medications to prescribe and which ones not to.

Q: ________________________________________________________?

A: Prescription medications are powerful drugs. Doctors and pharmacists each take several steps to keep prescription medications safe for people who need them. Doctors custom fit a prescription to a patient’s medical history, age, weight, allergies, and other factors. Pharmacists dispense medication and help patients understand instructions for taking them. Oftentimes, this includes warning labels like: «Take with food» or «Avoid prolonged sunlight» or «Federal law prohibits the transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed.» When a friend gives you a prescription − whether it’s to cure a sore throat or to get you high − there can be serious health consequences because the medication is tailored to your friend’s needs, not yours.

Q: ________________________________________________________?

A: Prescription-drug abuse is when someone takes a medication that was prescribed for someone else or purposely takes his or her own medication in a manner or dosage other than what was prescribed. Abuse can include taking a friend’s or a relative’s prescription to get high, to help you study, to lose weight, to build up muscle, or to treat pain. Even over-the-counter medications can be abused when not taken as directed.

Q: __________________________________________________________?

A: Abusers of prescription medications may mistakenly believe that because the drugs come from a pharmacy and not from a drug dealer they are safer to take, even at high doses or without a prescription. The fact is that if someone takes prescription medications in a manner that is not as a doctor intended, he or she could face serious health risks − and for certain medications those risks could be addiction and death. Also, abusing prescription drugs − including sharing prescriptions with friends − is illegal.

Q: _______________________________________________________?

A: Opiates can depress respiration [slow down a person’s breathing] or stop it altogether. They can shut down the part of your brain that tells you to breathe. That’s how people die from an overdose. Mixing certain prescription drugs, and even over-the-counter medicines, with alcohol is especially dangerous. If both substances depress respiration, they may amplify each other’s effects when taken together − meaning the risk of serious harm or death becomes much greater than when either one is taken alone.

Find the phrases in the article, which mean the same as:

a) ліки, які відпускаються за рецептом;	g) приймати ліки;
b) історія хвороби;	h) попереджувальна етикетка;
c) зроблений у відповідності до потреб;	i) ловити кайф;
d) дозування;	j) ліки, які відпускаються без рецепта;
e) вгамувати біль;	k) невигубна звичка;
f) наркотики;	l) дихання.

After-reading

Critical-Thinking Questions

Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper or discuss in a group.

1. Why is it important to tell your doctor about any medical conditions you have and all the medications you take, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements?

2. What would you say to someone who asked you for pills that were prescribed only for you?

3. At a party a friend offers you alcohol and a pill. What would you do, and why?

4. Explain why the following statement is a myth: Prescription drugs come from a doctor and a pharmacy, so they must be safe.

5. Explain why the following statement is a myth: It’s OK for me to use a prescription from the medicine cabinet that was prescribed for someone else in my family.

IV. Speaking Tasks

1. Which pharmacy items do you have in your home?

2. Which pharmacy items are good for a cold? Which are good for a cut? Which are good for a sprain? Discuss with a partner.

3. As far as you know you should follow some steps in order to treat a cut. Your task is to read the information about each step and say why we should act in exactly that way. For example: you must wash your hands while coming home because there are a lot of pathogenic bacteria which can provoke some disease.

Follow these steps to treat a cut.

1. Press gauze on the cut. Why should we do this?

2. Lift the cut above the heart. Why should we do this?

3. Clean the cut with soap and water. Then put antibacterial ointment on it. Why should we do this?

4. Cover the cut with a sterile pad and sterile tape. Why should we do this?

4. Work in pairs. Discuss with your partner pros and cons of taking antibiotics.

5. You know that accidents happen, that’s why you should keep a first-aid kit at home. Tell your groupmates about the contents of your home first-aid kit.

6. Do you know the meaning of the following slang words concerning healing means: anabolics, benny, go pill, happy pill, no-go pill, sleeping pill, roids? Try to guess their meaning and share your ideas about what they are taken for.

V. Grammar Check

Put article a (an) / the where it is necessary paying attention to highlighted in bold words and explaining your choice.

1. ___ spleen is an organ that plays a role in immunity.

2. ___ lungs transfer oxygen into the blood.

3. ___ arteries are vessels that carry blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the farthest reaches of the body.

4. ___ lymphatic system plays an important role in immunity.

5. ___ blood is difficult to remove from clothing.

6. ___ blood carries oxygen to all parts of the body.

7. ___ aspirin is generally prescribed.

8. The cat ate ___ aspirin that I left on the counter.

9. ___ cancer claims many lives.

10. ___ treatment is given in the hospital.

11. Radiation is ___ common treatment for breast cancer, but the patient has other options as well.

12. ___ injections for diabetes are usually given subcutaneously.

13. ___ anti-inflammatory is a type of drug that reduces swelling.

14. Fever is ___ (common) symptom associated with chicken pox.

15. ___ ingestion of certain drugs may also cause this condition.

16. ___ most obvious symptom is the rash, which appears after 10 days.

17. The patient is running ___ fever.

18. ___ artery is a vessel that carries blood.

19. ___ patient is generally given acetaminophen to relieve pain.

20. Breast cancer victims must have radiation treatment. ___ treatment is given in the hospital.

 

SELF-STUDY EXERCISES

Translate the following text into Ukrainian.

Signs of medication misuse

It is important to know the impact that misuse of prescription medicine can have and recognize some of the signals that may indicate a problem.

1. Unexplained memory loss or forgetfulness.

2. Lack of coordination (falling, stumbling).

3. Excessive tiredness.

4. Slurred speech.

5. Lack of personal hygiene (bathing, brushing teeth, clean clothes).

6. Moodiness.

7. Lack of interest in usual activities.

8. Isolation (not wanting to see friends or family).

9. Difficulty concentrating or completing sentences.

10. Changes in eating habits.

11. «Zombie» like behaviour (motionless, unresponsive to others, unaware of surroundings).