Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.3A Grade 8 CPI 3

 

Standard: 2.3 - Drugs & Medicine

 

Strand: A -   Medicines 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 3 -  The student will recommend safe practices for the use of prescription medicines.

 

Grade: 8

 

Sample Activities:

 

·       COMBINED OR MULTIPLE EFFECTS -  Introduce the concept of a synergistic effect. Use examples to show students how certain sub-stances,
when taken in combination with others, enhance or multiply the effects of the original substance. As an example, a person who drinks alcohol and then takes a sleeping pill will receive a much greater effect than each of these drugs individually can produce (because both are depressants). To clarify, instead of a simple math problem like 1+1=2, tell students that in situations like this one 1+1=3. Another way to demonstrate this concept is to pour one cup of water into a large glass container. Then pour another cup of water and observe the water level. Explain that one cup of water plus one cup of water produced two cups of water in the glass container. Then place one cup of vinegar in a glass. Take two tablespoons of baking soda and dissolve it in one cup of water. Tell students that one glass represents alcohol and the other represents sleeping pills. Refer to the previous demonstration using the two cups of water. Ask students to predict what might happen when you mix the vinegar and baking soda solutions. Make sure you have the cups over a sink or bowl. Add the glass of water with the baking soda to the glass of vinegar. The ingredients should overflow. In this case, one plus one did not equal two. Discuss the experiment as an example of synergistic effect.

 

      Variation: Introduce the concept of half-life. Explain that some drugs stay in blood and body tissues long after the person feels any physical effects. Emphasize that the drug may still be present in sufficient amounts to cause problems if a second drug is taken. Students research the half-life of several drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin) and predict the expected results from a drug-screening test at various times after use (e.g., one day, one week, one month).

Variation: Show a list of ingredients from several common medicines. Some of the labels may also contain warnings not to mix the medicine with another medicines or alcohol. Point out that alcohol, as a depressant, will synergize or enhance the effects of any other depressant drug taken (e.g., sedatives,
tranquilizers). Develop a series of cards, each with the name of a prescription medicine on it. (Use medicines familiar to students such as penicillin, Ventolin, or Ritalin.) Divide the class into small groups, and give each group several cards. Give each group scenarios describing individuals mixing one or more drugs. Students decide if the drug noted on the card would cause problems if combined with the substance noted in the scenario. Students list alternatives to taking another medication (e.g., sucking on hard candy for a cough, drinking juice instead of alcoholic punch, drinking herbal or peppermint tea). Reconvene the class and discuss each situation. Sample situations are listed below.

SAMPLE SITUATIONS: SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS
-       A person is at a New Year’s Eve party and wants to drink champagne to celebrate.
-       A person takes a prescription cough medicine containing codeine and an aspirin for a headache.
-       A person takes an over-the-counter antihistamine for allergies and drinks a beer.
-       A person just had dental work, is taking a prescribed narcotic painkiller, and needs to take an allergy pill.
-       A person drank at least five cups of coffee or soda containing caffeine and wants to take a sleeping pill.

 

·       WHAT WOULD YOU DO? TAKING MEDICATIONS CORRECTLY - Explain that healthcare providers write prescriptions specifically to meet the needs of the ill or injured individual and that those medicines should not be shared. Demonstrate using two or three varieties of metered dose inhalers. (Students often think that all inhaled medications for asthma are the same.) Divide the class into small groups, and give each group a scenario describing a medicine decision. Each group discusses the situation and presents their scenario and the recommended action. The Substance Awareness Coordinator (SAC) or school nurse listens and rates each group’s decision. After the presentation, the SAC or school nurse clarifies misconceptions and emphasizes school substance abuse and medication policies. Sample scenarios might include the following:
-       A student saw a friend share medication with another student.
-       A student carried and took an over-the-counter medication during the school day.
-       A student carried a bottle of aspirin in his/her book bag, just in case.
-       A student shared an inhaler with a friend who forgot his.
-       A student carried an antibiotic tablet in his/her lunch bag because he/she forgot the permission form.

 

      Variation: Students create a story or skit about a student asked to share medications. The story should feature the effective use of resistance skills and examine medication safety issues. Students use the stories and skits to develop and present a lesson for younger students.