MichaelKaniowski

Mr.Merritt
ENG1020
14October2015
PrescriptionDrugInteractions
Ataveryyoungage,Irememberstayingwithmygrandparentsandwatchingmy
grandmothertakepilluponpillbythehandful,followedbyherPepsi.AtsuchayoungageI
neverpaidmuchattentiontoit,butdailymygrandmotherwastakingbetween1520medications
severaltimesperdaytomanageherselfthroughouttheday.Someofthesemedicationswereas
largeasmyadolescentthumb,otherslookedsimilartosmallcandies,andallcameinavarietyof
colors.Astheyearswenton,theamountofdrugsincreasedashertoleranceincreased,andthe
sideeffectsofthedrugsbegantooutweighthebenefits.Thissoonweakenedherbodysystems,
particularlyherimmunesystem,andshedevelopedabadcold.Asthedayswentonthecold
hadgottenworse,andIsoonwenttovisitherinthehospital.Thesicknesshaddevelopedinto
pneumonia,adiseaseinwhichthelungsbecomeinflamed,andtheairsacslocatedinthelungs
becomefilledwithpus,andharden(mayoclinic.org).Asthevisitscontinued,thepersonmy
grandmotherwasdisappeared.Iwatchedherskinfadecolor,turningtoaghostlywhite,hereyes
revealingadistancedlook,andshelostalmostonehundredpounds.Herbodysimmunesystem
hadgrowntoweakduetotheextremelycommondrugusage,andcouldnotdefendagainstthe
illness.OnApril18th,2014,mygrandmotherpassedawaythenightbeforeIwasgoingtogo
visitheragain.

Drugshavebeenusedinmanyformsovermanyyears.Theyareusedtoenhanceoralter
onesphysicalormentalwellbeingduringcertaincircumstances,whetheritbeadisease,ora
simpleheadache.Wehaveallbeenaroundprescriptiondrugsforallofourlives.Weve
participatedintheuseofthem,liketakinganAdvil,Aleve,oraquickTylenoltotakecareof
thatheadache.Ifeveryoneusesthemsocommonly,insuchacarefreemanner,shouldntwe
knowexactlywhatistakingplacetosolveourissuesintheformofatablet,capsule,orpillof
medication?Myaunthasalwaysbeenalargepartofmylife,especiallyinmyyoungeryears.
Sherecommendedtometobecomeananesthesiologist,whichalsoinvolvestheusageofdrugs
inmoreofahospitalsetting.Iconsideredthisforawhile,butduetotheextensivecollegeand
moneynecessary,Idecidedtochangemymajortopharmacy.Thesefactors,questions,andthe
deathofmygrandmotherhelpedmedecidemycareerpathinpharmaceuticals.
Ihavestudiedpharmacyslightlylastyearinavocationalpharmacytechnicianclass.This
classgavemethebaseknowledgenecessarytopassthePTCB,atestthatmakesmeacertified
pharmacytechnician,whichIwillsoonbetaking.Differentdrugsactondifferentbodysystems
orbodypartsbaseduponthepurposeofthedrug.Forexample,somearedesignedtoresist
absorptionuntiltheyhavereachedtheintestine,orotherwiseknownasentericcoated,andsoon.
Eachdrughasasetofcharacteristicssuchasloweringbloodpressure,reducingnausea,settling
anupsetstomach,etc.,buthowdothesedrugsaffectoneanother?Whathappensifdrugsare
takeninatimeintervalthatdoesntallowforthefirstdrugtofinishitsprocess?Moreblatantly,
howdodrugswork?
WhileresearchingIhavestumbleduponseveralwebsitesthathavehelpedinanswering
myquestion.Ialreadyknewslightlyaboutthedifferenttypesofdrugs,andverylittleoftheir

actions.Ihavenowfoundoutmoreabouttheindividualtypingofeachdrug,andtheirdiseases
orconditionstreated.Forexample,
antihistaminesare

drugsthattemporarilyrelieverunnynose
orreducesneezing,itchingofthenoseorthroat,anditchyorwateryeyes(fda.gov).Ihavealso
learnedthatotheritemsorsubstancesbesidesotherdrugscanaffecttheactionsof
pharmaceuticals.Drugstakenwithalcoholmayactuallysloweffects,orslowyoursenses,which
maydangerousundercertaincircumstances.Itisalsohighlyimportanttoknowexactlywhatyou
aretaking.Ifyouhaveabloodpressurecondition,anddecidetotakeamedicationtorelievea
headache,youmaynotnoticethatoneofthesideeffectsisreducedbloodpressure,
bloodthinning,etc.,whichwouldobviouslyleadtodetrimentaleffectsonyourhealthdueto
yourlackofknowledge.Everythingisbasedaroundcautioninsafetywhenitcomesto
pharmaceuticals,soitisalwaysbesttoconsultadoctororcallthenumberonthebottleifyou
haveanyquestion.ThisisveryinterestingtomebecauseIknowverymanypeople,particularly
myfamilywhojusttakeprescribedmedicationwithoutasecondthought.Theymaymakea
mistakeonedayandtaketwoatoncethatwillcausenegativehealtheffects,ornotknowthat
alcoholwithmedicationcancauseseriousissues.Idoalsoknowthatthereareclassestaughtor
instructedbypharmacistsofferedtohelpthecustomerunderstandthedrugandtobecautious
withit,butknowinghowlazythepeopleImsurroundedbyare,Icouldnotseeverymanyof
themgoingoutoftheirwaytolearnaboutwhattheyputintotheirbodies.Myfatherwouldsay
somethingalongthelinesof,Well,thatswhatthepharmacistsforsoImnotworriedaboutit.
Antibioticsarecompoundsthatacttokillorinhibitthegrowthofbacteria.The
etymologyofthetermcanbebrokendownintotworoots:theprefixantimeaningopposed
toorpreventingandbioticcomingfromtheGreekwordforlife.(MeganSimmer).Inmy

nextsource,itbreaksdownanantibioticdrugmechanismofactioninmuchgreaterdetail.It
goesontoexplainthethreegeneralmodesofantibioticactivity,meaningthethreestepstakento
achievethedesiredeffects.Thesethreeareinterferingwiththecellwall,interferencewith
nucleicacidsynthesis,andinterferencewithproteinsynthesis.Nowtheseareverymuchtoo
complicatedtodescribe,soIllgivebriefexplanationsofeach.Interferingwiththecellwallis
forthemostpartselfexplanatory,butitinhibitsabacteriasabilitytomaintainastrongcellwall,
andeventuallycausesthecelltoburst.Interferingwithnucleicacidsynthesiscanoccurin
severalways.Forexample,antibioticscanpreventDNAfromfunctioningasapropertemplate
orinterferewiththeprocessesorsubstancesinvolvedinthereplicationandtranscriptionof
DNA.Lastly,interferingwithproteinsynthesisiswhentheantibioticattacksproteincomplexes
andweakensthecellforfurtheractionbyotherprocesses.Nowthisisratherinteresting,and
takesmypharmaceuticalperspectivetoawholenewlevel.
Ialsolearnedmoreaboutthehistoryofpharmaceuticals.AlexanderFlemingwasthefirst
persontodiscoverPenicillinin1928.Hefiguredthisoutbecauseheaccidentallygrew
penicilliumonstaphylococci,andnoticedthatthepenicilliumwasactuallydestroyingthe
staphylcocci,andthisresultedinhimwinningaNobelPrizeforMedicinein1945.Gerhard
Domagkwasthefirsttodiscoverabrandofdrugscalledthesulfadrugs.Hewasassignedby
Beyertodevelopapharmaceuticaldrugtopreventstreptococcuspyogenes.Ironically,duringhis
processofdevelopingamedicationtopreventthisdisease,hisyoungdaughterdevelopedS.
pyogenes.Withtheonlyotheroptionbeingdeath,heusedthismedicationlongbeforeithad
beencertifiedtobeeffective,anditcuredherdisease.BecauseofthishealsoearnedaNobel
Prizeofin1939.

Mylaststrandofresearchledmetoreadingmoreabouttheadverseeffectsofcommonly
prescribedmedications.Itishighlyinterestingbecauseitgivesstatisticsyearlyofcasesof
adversereactions,andexactlywhathappened.Eachyear,morethan9.6millionadversedrug
reactionsoccurinolderAmericans.Onestudyfoundthat37percentofadversereactionsinthe
elderlywerenotreportedtothedoctor,presumablybecausepatientsdidnotrealizethereactions
wereduetothedrug.(WorstPills,BestPills).Factssuchas,Eachyear41,000olderadultsare
hospitalizedand3,300ofthesediefromulcerscausedbyNSAIDs(nonsteroidal
antiinflammatorydrugs,usuallyfortreatmentofarthritis).(WorstPills).Itgoesontostatethat
thecauseofthesymptomsisactuallyduetocarelessorpoorprescribingonthepharmacyspart,
andgivesmanyspecificcasesinwhichadrugcausedseveresideeffectstothepersonusingit.
Onechildactuallydiedfromaprescriptiondrugcalledimipraminethathewasgiventohelp
treathisattentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder.Hisparentswerenotsufficientlyinformedonthe
drugssideeffects,anothercaseinwhichclassesfromthepharmacywouldhavehelped,andthe
drugcausedbegantostartgivingtheyoungchildheartbeatirregularities.Inextreme
lifethreateningsituationsthesearecalledarrhythmias.Oneday,thischildcollapseddeadduring
recessduetoanarrhythmiacausedbythedrughewasgiventohelphim.
Attheendofmyresearch,Ifeelmuchmoreknowledgeableonthistopic.Sinceitis
goingtobeamassivepartinmyoccupation,itisalsohelpfultoknowmoreaboutpharmacy
drugs.Ibelievethatthisresearchwassatisfyinginbothanoccupationandpersonalsense.I
foundwhatIwaslookingfor,withsomeadditionalinformation.Myonlyissuewithmyresearch
isinthecaseofmygrandmother,washerdeathaidedfromdruginducedeffects?Ifshehadbeen
properlyinformed,wouldshestillbeheretoday?Werethereanyotherdrugsthatmayhave

helpedherthroughhercondition,orwasittheonlyway?So,Iamleftwithseveralquestions
concerningmygrandmotherandtherestofmyfamilyandtheirknowledgeofthedrugsthey
take,butIbelievemorequestionshavebeenansweredthenleftunanswered.Ialsofoundoutthat
theresearchprocessforonequestioncanbedifficult.Youmayhavetochangesmallkeywords,
andyouwillhaveanentirelydifferentlistofresults,someofwhichmaybemuchmore
beneficialtoyourresearch.Thishappenedtomeseveraltimes.Overall,thisresearchtopicwasa
success,andIenjoyedresearchingsomethingIamactuallyinterestedin.

WorksCited

DrugInteractions:WhatYouShouldKnow.
U.S.FoodandDrugAdministration.
25Sept.
2013.Web.25Oct.2015.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/ucm163354.htm

Simmer,Megan.PrescriptionAntibioticsHowExactlyDoTheseDrugsWork.
TheScience
CreativeQuarterly.
Aug.2003.Web.25Oct.2015.
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/prescriptionantibioticshowexactlydothesedrugswork/

HowExtensiveIstheProblemofSpecificAdverseDrugReactions?
WorstPills,BestPills.
2015.Web.25Oct.2015.
http://www.worstpills.org/public/page.cfm?op_id=5