I've been overwhelmed with all these drugs, dosages, adverse effeccts, indications for use. It's amazing what these tiny round things can do the human body. It supresses or instigates reactions that are hyperactive or unreactive... whatever works for you. Sometimes drugs will mimic chemicals in your body that your body lacks. Like for example in Parkinson's Disease there's less dopamine (think of dopamine as what slows you down) and more AcH (speeds you up) which is why there is more tremors with those who have PD. And we just cant give a patient extra dopamine. Why? because the human body is the most frikken amazing thing to exist on this very planet. Our body has barriers the blood brain barrier is one of them. It's this highly intricate and restrcited check point that only certain things can pass. AND unfortunately our brain may need dopamine but it can't get through the blood brain barrier from the external world. So scientists went ahead an created this drug called levodopa which easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and restores that dopamine level. But here's the thing... your taking in levodopa through your mouth, into your GI tract...So many chemicals and enzyme will want to attack it so it can be metabolized. If it's metabolized then the effectiveness is decreased right? Which means we'd haveto administer higher dosages of Levodopa which can be expensive and toxic! So there's this other cool drug called Carbidopa which works with levodopa. Carbidopa is like a body guard protects Levodopa from getting metabolized or inhibited by vitamin B6!! (gosh im a little too excited) So that way there is an appropriate amount of dopamine available for the brain.
Another interesting one I came across:
Percocet it's a mix of oxycodone and tylenol. It's a highly addictive pain killer. (picture above( It's interesting reading about all of these drugs because you see what differing effects they have on your body and how each drug is different in how your body will handle it. frikken fascinating! :| some of these stuff are highly addictive they are locked up in a cabinet in our med carts. You have to intial an extra form when administering the medications (as a nurse). And you want to know the BEST part of it all...we consume these drugs, crappy food and alcohol on a daily basis and your liver cleans it out! Your liver decides okay we don't need these I'm going to flush you out with the urine. And what sucks is when your old..your liver slows down so sometimes there will be drugs still circulating in your blood. Which is why older patients are prone to drug toxicity, hence lower dosage prescribed for them. So appreciate your liver...eat Broccoli!
Another interesting one I came across:
Percocet it's a mix of oxycodone and tylenol. It's a highly addictive pain killer. (picture above( It's interesting reading about all of these drugs because you see what differing effects they have on your body and how each drug is different in how your body will handle it. frikken fascinating! :| some of these stuff are highly addictive they are locked up in a cabinet in our med carts. You have to intial an extra form when administering the medications (as a nurse). And you want to know the BEST part of it all...we consume these drugs, crappy food and alcohol on a daily basis and your liver cleans it out! Your liver decides okay we don't need these I'm going to flush you out with the urine. And what sucks is when your old..your liver slows down so sometimes there will be drugs still circulating in your blood. Which is why older patients are prone to drug toxicity, hence lower dosage prescribed for them. So appreciate your liver...eat Broccoli!
And ANOTHER thing. Candy companies should really stop making candies that look alot like these pills. =| I never realized it and I'm sure the bottles that these pills come in are shut but if it gets in the wrong toddler who thinks it's candy... alot of shit can go down my home fries. Okay I really should go back to my drug exercises. FACK! so much to do!!
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