| What They Do and Side Effects |
Every day in the US, medication costing millions of dollars is prescribed to hundreds of thousands of people. There
are thousands of different drugs used to treat hundreds if illnesses. What follows is a general guide to some of the broad categories of medication,
how they work and common side effects.
Analgesics (Painkillers)
Acetaminophen and aspirin are the mildest analgesics, used for headaches, joint pains, menstrual pain, and toothache. They are equally effective, but aspirin
also reduces inflammation.
Acetaminophen can be used in children under the age of twelve. Side effects are rare, but it is potentially fatal even in minor overdose because of toxic effects
of aspirin and other anti-inflammatories (e.g ibuprofen) include stomach irritation and bleeding, Asthma suffers can be sensitive to aspirin, leading to increased
wheezing, and even death in some cases. Stronger analgesics work on the brain to reduce the perception of pain. These include opioid analgesics, such as codiene, pethidine, and morphine. Side effects include drowsiness, constipation, nausea, and vomiting.
Heart Desease
These are around ten different classes of drugs used to treat a variety of conditions, including high blood pressure, blood clots, angina, and palpitations. The best known of the drugs are water tablets (duiretics). They remove excess fluid from the circulatory system, lowering blood pressure and improving breathing in heart failure. Side effects include stomach upsets, gout, and rashes.
Beta-blockers reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure, but can cause tiredness, cold hands and feet, and sleep disturbances. They should not be taken by asthmatics because they may trigger a fatal attack of wheezing. Digoxin is used to treat irregular heart rate and may induce nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite if the dosage is too high. Some drugs used for treating raised blood pressure can cause impotence ( reversible on stopping medication).
Asthma
There are two types of asthma theraphy. Treatment of whezzing attack is by inhaled drugs, including salbutamol and terbutaline (known as relivers). which open up the airways by relaxing the muscle in the walls of breathing tubes. Preventatives, such as inhaled steroids, improve breathing by reducing the amount of sticky mucus blocking the airways. inhaled drugs have few side effects, although steroids can cause an overgrowth of yeast infection at the back of the throat.
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