You're sitting in the doctor's office, feeling crummy
and hardly able to swallow. You watch and listen as the doctor
grabs her prescription pad and says to your parent, "The test
came back, and he's got strep throat. I've seen a lot of
kids with it this week. Give him this medicine, make sure he
finishes all of it, and he should be well enough to go back to
school soon." So you go home and start taking your medicine.
Sure enough, you quickly get better.
But what was in the medicine? How did it work to make you
better? And how did the doctor know to give you that medicine
instead of one of thousands of others? Medicines aren't really
a mystery - keep reading and you'll learn more.
A Rainbow of Medicine
One medicine might be a pink liquid, another medicine might come
in a special mist, another might be a blue pill, and still another
might come out of a yellow tube. But they're all used for the
same purpose - to make you feel better when you're sick. Some
medicines were discovered from substances found in nature.
Others are made by scientists in laboratories. Most medicines today
are made in laboratories and many are based on substances found in
nature.
After a medicine is created, it is tested over and over in many
different ways. This allows scientists to make sure the medicine is
safe for people to take and that it can fight or prevent a specific
illness. A lot of new medicines actually are new versions of old
medicines that have been improved to help people feel better
quicker.
Sometimes a part of the body can't make enough of a certain
substance, and this can make a person sick. When someone has
type 1 diabetes
(say: dye-uh-
be
-tees), the pancreas (a body organ that is part of the digestive
system) can't make enough of an important chemical called
insulin, which the body needs to stay healthy. If your body makes
too much of a certain chemical, that can make you sick, too.
Luckily, medicines can replace what's missing (like insulin) or
they can block production of a chemical when the body is making too
much of it.
Most of the time when kids get sick, the illness comes from
germs
that get into the body. The body's immune system works to fight
off these invaders, but the germs and the body's natural way of
germ fighting, like getting a fever, can make a person feel ill. In
many cases, the right kind of medicine can help kill the germs and
help the person feel better.
Medicines Help in Many Ways
People take medicines to fight illness, to feel better when
they're sick, and to keep from getting sick in the first place.
When a doctor is deciding which medicine to give a patient, he or
she thinks about what is causing the patient's problem. Someone
may need to take more than one type of medicine at the same time -
one to fight off an infection and one to help the person feel
better, for example.
When it comes to fighting illnesses, there are many types of
medicines. Antibiotics (say: an-ty-by-
ah
-tiks) are one type of medicine that a lot of kids have taken.
Antibiotics kill germs called bacteria, and different antibiotics
can fight different kinds of bacteria. So if your doctor found out
that streptococcal bacteria were causing your sore throat, he
or she could prescribe just the right antibiotic.
But while the antibiotic is starting to fight the bacteria, you
might still feel achy and hot, so the doctor might tell your parent
to also give you a pain reliever. Pain relievers can't make you
well, but they do help you feel better while you're getting
well.
You have taken other medicines that soothe symptoms if
you've ever taken cold medicine to dry up your runny nose or
sucked on throat drops for a scratchy throat. Cream that helps a
bug bite stop itching is another example. Your cold had to go away
on its own, just like the bug bite needed to heal on its own, but
in the meantime, these medicines helped you feel less sick or
itchy.
Many people also take medicines to control illnesses that
don't completely go away, such as diabetes,
asthma
, or high blood pressure. With help from these medicines, people
can enjoy life and avoid some of the worst symptoms associated with
their illnesses.
Finally, there are important medicines that keep people from
getting sick in the first place. Some of these are called
immunizations (say: ih-myoo-nuh-
zay
-shunz), and they are usually given as a shot. They prevent people
from catching serious illnesses like measles and mumps. There is
even an immunization that prevents chickenpox, and many people get
a flu shot each winter to avoid the flu. Although shots are never
fun, they are a very important part of staying healthy.
Many Ways to Take Medicine
What does medicine mean to you? Do you picture a pill or a
spoonful of purple liquid? Those are two ways medicine can be
given, but there are others. Medicines are given in different ways,
depending on how they work best in the body. A lot of medicines are
swallowed, either as a pill or a liquid. Once the medicine is
swallowed, the digestive juices in the stomach break it down, and
the medicine can pass into the bloodstream. Your blood then carries
it to other parts of your body.
But some medicines wouldn't work if the stomach's
digestive juices broke them down. For example, insulin is given as
a shot under the skin and then it can be absorbed into the
bloodstream. Other medicines would take too long to work if they
were swallowed. When you get an IV in the hospital the medicine
gets into your blood quickly. Other medicines need to be breathed
into the lungs where they work best for lung problems, like some of
the medicines used to treat asthma. Still others work best when
they are put directly on the spot that needs the medicine - like
patting ointment on an infected cut or dropping eardrops into a
clogged-up ear.
Mind Your Medicines
So medicines sound like a pretty good thing, right? In many
cases they are - as long as they are used correctly. Too much of a
medicine can be harmful, and old or outdated medicines may not work
or can make people sick. Taking the wrong medicine or medicine
prescribed for someone else is also very bad news. You should also
always follow your doctor's instructions for taking medicine -
especially for how long. If your doctor says to take medicine
for 10 days, take it for the whole time, even if you start to feel
better sooner. Those medicines need time to finish the job and make
you better!
Reviewed by:
Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: October 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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