antibiotics and painkillers

• PAINKILLERS:


  • PAINKILLERS are drugs that manage symptoms such as PAIN and FEVER. They offer relief but DO NOT target the underlying cause of the disease.
  • e.g ASPIRIN and PARACETAMOL
• ANTIBIOTICS:


  • ANTIBIOTICS work on a deeper level by either KILLING BACTERIA or preventing their REPRODUCTION. This stops the infection at its source.
• ANTIBIOTICS:

  • They only target BACTERIAL infections by killing bacteria cells.
  • They are ineffective against viruses because viruses reproduce INSIDE body cells, so it is difficult to destroy the virus without destroying the healthy cell.
  • ANTIBIOTICS recognise bacteria by the unique ANTIGENS on their surface and disrupt their life processes.
  • The correct antibiotic must be matched with the right bacterial infection to be effective as they are SPECIFIC to certain bacteria.
• RESISTANCE:

  • Bacteria can EVOLVE, leading to ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE.
  • This makes some antibiotics LESS EFFECTIVE or even useless against these resistant bacteria.
  • If these resistant bacteria reproduce and spread, it can become difficult to treat and can lead to a SERIOUS INFECTION.
  • To combat this, medical professionals recommend completing the FULL COURSE of antibiotics even if the patient is feeling better, and only using them when symptoms are SERIOUS 
• example of resistance is MRSA which was a bacteria which EVOLVED to become resistant to the antibiotic METICILLIN.
• Origin and Evolution of DRUGS:

  • ASPIRIN: derived from WILLOW BARK, is used as a PAINKILLER and to LOWER FEVER.
  • PENICILLIN: comes from MOULD, and is used as an ANTIBIOTIC.
  • DIGITALIS: Comes from FOXGLOVES, is used to treat HEART CONDITIONS.
• Preclinical Trials (Cells, Tissues and Animals)

  1. Stage 1: Drugs first undergo tests on human cells and tissues in the laboratory

  2. Stage 2: The drug is tested on animals for efficacy, toxicity and dosage using live animals. In Britain, law requires testing on two different LIVE MAMMALS to ensure the drug's safety.
• Preclinical Trials


  • Tests on whole or multiple body systems require the use of whole animals due to their complex circulatory systems
  • In Britain, law requires testing on two different live mammals to ensure the drug's safety
• Clinical Trials (Humans)


  1. Stage 3: Healthy volunteers are first to receive the drug to check for side effects at low doses, the dose is gradually increased and tested until an optimum dose is found

  2. Stage 4: Next, the drug is administered to patients in two groups - one group receives the new drug, the other group gets a placebo
• Preclinical Trials (Cells, Tissues and Animals)
• Clinical Trials (Humans)
• BLIND trials:


  patient DOESN'T KNOW whether they are taking the real drug or the placebo. This prevents the PLACEBO EFFECT where the patient expects the drug is working so is subconsciously influenced.
• PLACEBO:


  A substance that looks like a drug but has no effect.
• AFTER TRIALS:


  PEER REVIEW of the results is conducted by other scientists to ensure the VALIDITY and RELIABILITY of the trial outcomes before publication.