1.3 - Use & Abuse of Drugs

Drugs affect our body chemistry. Medical drugs are developed and tested before being used to relieve illness or disease. Drugs may also be used recreationally as people like the effect on the body. Some drugs are addictive. Some athletes take drugs to improve performance. People cannot make sensible decisions about drugs unless they know their full effects. 

Candidates should use their skills, knowledge and understanding to: 

• evaluate the effect of statins in cardiovascular disease  
• evaluate different types of drugs and why some  people use illegal drugs for recreation
• evaluate claims made about the effect of prescribed and non-prescribed drugs on health
• consider the possible progression from recreational drugs to hard drugs
• evaluate the use of drugs to enhance performance in sport and to consider the ethical implications of their use. 

B1.3.1 Drugs 

a) Scientists are continually developing new drugs. 

b) When new medical drugs are devised, they have to be extensively tested and trialled before being used. Drugs are tested in a series of stages to find out if they are safe and effective. 

New drugs are extensively tested for toxicity, efficacy and dose: 

• in the laboratory, using cells, tissues and live animals
• in clinical trials involving healthy volunteers and patients. Very low doses of the drug are given at the start of the clinical trial. If the drug is found to be safe, further clinical trials are carried out to find the optimum dose for the drug. In some double blind trials, some patients are given a placebo, which does not contain the drug. Neither the doctors nor the patients know who has received a placebo and who has received the drug until the trial is complete. 

c) Candidates should be aware of the use of statins in  lowering the risk of heart and circulatory diseases. 

d) Thalidomide is a drug that was developed as a sleeping pill. It was also found to be effective in relieving morning sickness in pregnant women. 

Thalidomide had not been tested for use in pregnant women. Unfortunately, many babies born to mothers who took the drug were born with severe limb abnormalities. The drug was then banned. As a result, drug testing has become much more rigorous. More recently, thalidomide has been used successfully in the treatment of leprosy and other diseases. 

e) Candidates should be aware of the effects of misuse of the legal recreational drugs, alcohol and nicotine. Candidates should understand that the misuse of the illegal recreational drugs ecstasy, cannabis and heroin may have adverse effects on the heart and circulatory system. 

f) Cannabis is an illegal drug. Cannabis smoke contains chemicals which may cause mental illness in some people. 

g) The overall impact of legal drugs (prescribed and non-prescribed) on health is much greater than the impact of illegal drugs because far more people use them. 

h) Drugs change the chemical processes in peoples’ bodies so that they may become dependent or addicted to the drug and suffer withdrawal symptoms without them. Heroin and cocaine are very addictive. 

i) There are several types of drug that an athlete can use to enhance performance. Some of these drugs are banned by law and some are legally available on prescription, but all are prohibited by sporting regulations. Examples include stimulants that boost bodily functions such as heart rate; and anabolic steroids which stimulate muscle growth.