Drug treatment is a method of therapy used in all pathologies. Even people without special education use it. There are “tools” with which treatment is provided in every home. Proper application of the method helps to eliminate temporary discomfort and prevent serious consequences.
Medication is what?
Pathology has long been considered a punishment. People have long been trying to fight and resist disease, inventing a variety of tools to help achieve this goal.
Drug treatment is the process of eliminating and alleviating symptoms, restoring disturbed processes and health with the help of medications. This process is also called pharmacotherapy. It implies the use of drugs selected by the attending physician personally for each patient. The choice of drugs is determined by a number of criteria:
- main and concomitant pathology, their localization, form, severity of the clinical picture;
- age, gender, general condition of the patient;
- individual intolerance, resistance;
- compatibility of newly selected and already used by the patient drugs.
Therapy of all diseases to one degree or another is carried out medically. Treatment of nerves or the elimination of pain caused by a mild injury should be carried out as directed and under the supervision of a physician. Improper use of drugs can significantly worsen the condition of the patient.
Types of Pharmacotherapy
The same diseases in different people proceed unequally. This is due to the reason why the pathology developed, the characteristics of the immune system, the presence or absence of other disorders. Therapy for each ailment is selected individually.
The following methods of drug treatment are distinguished:
- Etiotropic or causal therapy is aimed at eliminating the current cause of the disease. Examples of such treatment can be the removal of a toxic substance from the body during poisoning, the expulsion of parasites during invasions.
- Pathogenetic therapy - aims at inhibiting the mechanisms of pathology development processes. So, in the pathogenesis of a heart attack, thrombophlebitis, the thrombogenesis is the nucleation mechanism, therefore, drugs that eliminate and prevent platelet aggregation are used to treat the disease.
- Symptomatic treatment is a priority, especially if the clinical picture is accompanied by pain. In some cases, the symptom is a pathogenetic link. So, with the elimination of edema in heart failure, the load on the myocardium is reduced.
- Substitution drug treatment of diseases is the pharmacological compensation of lost function. The most famous example is the administration of insulin to patients with diabetes. If there is a complete destruction of the organ performing a certain function, drugs are used that stimulate a similar function of another organ.
- Preventive therapy is of the utmost importance. The disease is better to prevent than to treat. A good example of such therapy is vaccination.
Forms of medicines and methods of use
There are several types of dosage forms. All of them have their own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. In some diseases, this or that form is the only one possible for use. It happens that the form is not suitable for a person, for example, a swallowing reflex is poorly developed in a newborn, tablets are contraindicated for him.
Medications are available in the following forms:
- tablets - is made by pressing a medicinal mixture;
- dragee - a spherical shape, which is obtained during repeated layering of medicinal raw materials;
- granules - round or cylindrical homogeneous grains with a diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm;
- capsules - powdered raw materials enclosed in a shell;
- powders - bulk solids;
- suspensions - are available in powder form, ready for use after dilution with water;
- syrups - a liquid-like drug substance dissolved in sugar;
- tinctures - contain medicinal raw materials and alcohol;
- suppositories (rectal, vaginal suppositories) - solid forms, melting at t ° from 35 degrees.
The above forms suggest an enteric route of administration, i.e., through the gastrointestinal tract (through the mouth, rectum). Parenteral forms are used bypassing the gastrointestinal tract (externally, into a blood vessel, under the skin, by inhalation):
- ointments - forms of soft consistency;
- patches - a plastic mass applied to the surface of the skin with or without a drug substance;
- aerosols - medicinal raw materials in gaseous form, in special packaging.
Solutions are used both enteral and parenteral. For example, glucose solutions are taken orally and administered intravenously.
Features of drug therapy in childhood
Children are the treasure of any nation. Caring for the health of the child is one of the main tasks of the state and family. In children, vital organs are not fully formed. Metabolic processes, assimilation, biotransformation of drugs is different compared to adults. Most babies are not able to describe their own feelings during therapy. All this complicates the control of pharmacotherapy and increases the importance of monitoring the condition of the child during treatment.
In pediatrics, a number of requirements are put forward for the medical treatment of children:
- dosage is determined taking into account the age and body weight of a small patient;
- taking into account the anatomical and pathological characteristics of the child's body;
- avoidance of the introduction of several drugs at once;
- preparations are combined taking into account pH;
- careful accounting of therapy indicating the dose, route of administration, reflection of pharmacological history.
With age, the children's body is constantly changing. Accordingly, the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are changing, all this is necessarily taken into account when prescribing drugs:
- Absorption. Bioavailability is affected by the stage of the disease, the dosage of the drug, especially the absorption capacity of the skin, gastrointestinal mucosa, and lungs. The intestinal flora is constantly changing, it is often advisable to introduce funds bypassing the intestine. Optimal means for rectal administration are considered. They have a high (compared with oral) absorption, are rapidly absorbed, are used at any age.
- Metabolism. As the parenchyma of the liver ripens, the activity of its enzymes changes. The process of maturation of protein fractions is reflected in the rate of release of a therapeutic agent. So, in newborns, the half-life is 20 hours, and after the second week of life - 8 hours.
- Excretion of the drug by the kidneys. The immaturity of the kidney transport system is forced to adjust the dosage up.
Drug Pain Relief
Pain medications are medicines that a person usually takes on his own. This state of affairs leads to a large number of problems. Firstly, drowning out the pain, the patient delays the visit to the doctor, the pathology goes into severe forms. Secondly, illiterate self-prescription of drugs leads to uncontrolled exposure to chemicals, which upsets the work of most body systems. The appointment of drugs to eliminate physical suffering should be done by a doctor.
Medication for pain refers to symptomatic therapy. The elimination of discomfort with the help of drugs is carried out by affecting the pathophysiological mechanisms.
Depending on the severity of symptoms, medical treatment of physical suffering is carried out with the following drugs:
- Opioid analgesics are stimulants of endogenous (internal) opiopeptides in the central nervous system. Given the pharmacological action, the drugs are divided into opiate receptor stimulants and agonists-antagonists of the central nervous system receptors conjugated to the G-protein.
- Non-narcotic analgesics of central action. The mechanism of action of the drugs is due to inhibition of the synthesis of prostaglandins, which play an important role in the processes of pain transmission. The therapeutic effect of substances depends on the tissue on which they act. The most frequently prescribed are COX inhibitors (Paracetamol, Feracetin), adreno- and symptom mimetics (Norepinephrine, Trimex).
- Non-narcotic analgesic agents of peripheral action (adjuvants) - affect the nervous, cognitive components of pain behavior. The most extensive pharmacological group is NSAIDs, and the most widely used is salicylates.
Pharmacotherapy of inflammatory processes
Inflammation is a reaction of an organism to internal and external damaging factors (pathogenic microorganisms, chemical agents, radiation, and others). Drug treatment is primarily the effect of a drug substance on affected cells. The inflammatory processes in each proceed differently, even if caused by the same irritant.
To conduct a rational drug treatment of inflammation, you should know about the mechanism of action of the drugs used:
- Glucocorticoids are synthetic analogues of natural steroids produced by the adrenal cortex, the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. Hormones affect all phases of inflammation: cell damage, the process of exudate secretion, proliferation. Glucocorticoids are highly effective in eliminating inflammation caused by allergies, autoimmune processes.
- NSAIDs are inferior to glucocorticoids, do not contain hormones. Reduce the rapidly occurring process of inflammation, the degree of tissue destruction, which contributes to regenerative regeneration. NSAIDs differ in strength of anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic effect. The drugs have normal tolerance, do not accumulate, are quickly eliminated from the body, cause fewer undesirable effects than glucocorticoids.
- Cementing and coating agents. Antacids are used to reduce inflammation in the digestive tract by neutralizing hydrochloric acid. With medical treatment of gastritis, antacids are necessarily included in the complex of prescribed drugs. Heparin-based drugs, in addition to anti-inflammatory, have anti-aggregation and anti-edematous effects.
Quite often, anti-inflammatory drugs are used in combination with vitamins. The latter reduces exudation, strengthens blood vessels, and promotes rapid recovery.
Erosive gastritis: treatment with medications
In the complex of therapeutic measures for gastrointestinal diseases, pharmacotherapy occupies a leading place. It aims to relieve symptoms, achieve rapid healing, and prevent relapse.
Among all gastrointestinal diseases, the most dangerous is erosive gastritis (bulbitis). Pathology is characterized by the formation of erosion on the mucosa of the bulbar part of the small intestine. Drug treatment of gastritis is carried out comprehensively. The treatment regimen includes the following:
- The use of drugs that block the manifestations of acidism: proton pump inhibitors and antacids.
- Etiotropic treatment. The main reason for the development of erosive bulbitis is Helicobacter pylori infection. To eliminate it, antibiotics are prescribed.
- Gastroprotectors contribute to the rapid healing of tissues affected by erosion.
- Antiplatelet agents prevent the formation of blood clots in places of bruising.
- Antidyspeptic drugs restore intestinal motility. The scheme is determined by the doctor, treatment is under constant control. Only a gastroenterologist can adjust the therapy.
Joint treatment
Joint pathologies are usually chronic. Diseases are accompanied by constant pain of varying intensity, people are limited in movement. The destructive process quickly spreads to neighboring tissues, blood flow and muscle tone are disturbed. Such pathologies are most often treated with medication.
Joint treatment has its own characteristics. It is primarily aimed at eliminating painful sensations. In parallel, prescribed drugs that restore blood circulation, affected tissue:
- NSAIDs. Non-hormonal drugs are used not only for the relief of pain. They effectively reduce the inflammatory process. To reduce the likelihood of adverse symptoms, preference is given to COX-1 and -2 inhibitors. The drugs inhibit the release of enzymes that destroy tissues in the chronic course of the inflammatory process. Also inhibit the activity of neutrophils, thereby reducing the risk of allergies. Drug treatment of arthrosis begins with the selection of NSAIDs.
- Corrector metabolism of bone and cartilage tissue - funds with chondrostimulating, regenerating effect. The drugs improve metabolic processes in the cartilage, reduce the degeneration of the cartilage tissue of the joints, accelerate the process of regenerative regeneration. Many chondroprotectors contain chondroitin sulfate, which serves as a substrate for the formation of a new cartilage matrix.
- H-anticholinergics. The use of drugs helps to reduce muscle tone, cramps, cramps. Muscle relaxants reduce pain (the feeling of "twisting" of the limbs), restore motor function. All H-anticholinergic drugs have a strong effect on myocardial contractility. Patients with a heart rhythm disturbance during a course of therapy should consult a cardiologist.
- Angioprotectors. Joint treatment with medication includes vasodilating drugs. They help improve microcirculation, eliminate cramps.
In severe forms, the doctor may prescribe hormonal drugs. Most often prescribed "prednisone" in the form of ointments or tablets. Drugs have many contraindications and side effects, the course of use and withdrawal should be monitored by a doctor.
Neurology
The nervous system regulates the work of all organs, the coherence of the interaction of the organism as a whole depends on its health. Frequent overloads, stressful situations make a person irritable, inflated. Insomnia develops, appetite disappears, and then interest in life, mental deviations gradually form.
Therapy of CNS disorders is carried out medically. Treatment of nerves is carried out with the following drugs:
- Adaptogenic agents have a general tonic effect on the central nervous system, improve metabolic processes in brain cells, and increase adaptation to unfavorable factors. Drugs, usually of plant origin, their therapeutic effect develops gradually.
- Nootropics are drugs that have a positive effect on cognitive function. This group of drugs has a wide range of therapeutic activity. They have antihypoxic, anticonvulsant, sedative properties. Reduce the likelihood of anxiety, fears.
- Anxiolytics or tranquilizers are psychotropic drugs that reduce the severity of anxiety, emotional stress. Means affect the subcortical areas of the brain, inhibit polysynapsic reflexes. Due to the nature of the mechanisms of action, drugs are included in the prescription group.
- Antipsychotics - drugs intended for the treatment of psychoses and other mental disorders. The mechanism of action is based on a decrease in response to external stimuli, a weakening of psychomotor agitation.
Pharmacotherapy of kidney disease
Most often, kidney pathologies are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. The problem is that diseases do not manifest for a long time and turn into chronic forms.
The main feature of drug treatment of the kidneys is that the rate of biotransformation and elimination of therapeutic drugs decreases. In a usual dose, the concentration of the active substance will be higher, so the dose must be reduced. The principles of treatment:
- Depending on the infectious agent, the presence of resistance, individual characteristics, the patient is prescribed antibiotics or antimicrobials (fluoroquinolones), nitrofurans.
- Diuretics - contribute to the removal of excess fluid and urine, thereby reducing the osmotic pressure and reducing the burden on the kidneys.
- Antispasmodics relax the smooth muscles of the genitourinary system, improve blood circulation to tissues.
Drug therapy is used for all types of diseases. Properly selected drugs and dosage help get rid of unpleasant symptoms and restore health.