Pharmaceutical Public Health

Question 1

Addiction meaning

Answer 1

primary, chronic, or neurological disease with genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.
often involves craving, continued use despite harm and compulsive use

Question 2

Tolerance

Answer 2

state of adaptation in which exposure to drug induces changes that diminishes the affect of the drug over time

Question 3

5 drugs with high potential misuse

Answer 3

benzodiazepines - anxiety
Z-drugs - sleep
Gabapentin and pregablin- epilepsy, anxiety
opioids - non-cancer pain
antidepressents- depression

Question 4

illicit in the UK

Answer 4

1 in 11 adults 16-59
1 in 5 16-24
slight reduction recently in 16-24

Question 5

consequences of drug misue on public health

Answer 5

negative impact on mental, physical health
increases risk of infectious disease
costs more due to medical treatment and control of disease
decreases population productivity- sick days, homlessness
increases prison population
social costs- isolation and stigma

Question 5

heroin

Answer 5

can be used therapeutically for palliative patients
needs to be used properly using sterile equipment to avoid infection
often found on streets as brown/white powder to snort, smoke or inject
methodone and buprenorphine prescribed as substitutes as give same satisfaction but less harmful

Question 5

cocaine

Answer 5

fine powder often snorted
increaes heart rate, temperature, nausea, anxiety etc
can make crack cocaine when mixed with other ingredients

Question 6

cannabis

Answer 6

in many forms: weed, oil, skunk, has
can also offer clinical benefit for certain conditions
for medicinial use it needs to: contain a form of cannabis, produced for medicinal use in human and is regulated as a medicinial product
but even medicinial cannabis can be harmful as it causes neurological damage to children, increases risk of psychotic illness, withdrawal symptoms are also dangerous