Pills, Potions, and Poisons: How Medicines and Other Drugs Work

About half of all the medicines prescribed by doctors are not taken by their patients. One of the reasons most commonly given by patients for not taking drugs is that they feel unhappy about taking medicines which they do not understand and of which they are afraid. This book attempts to rectify this problem by showing in clear, non-technical language how medicines and other drugs work in the body to reduce the effects of disease. Most chapters include fascinating background information on how some of our most important drugs were discovered, along with intriguing and often amusing anecdotes about the drugs and the people behind their discovery. Each chapter also includes a summary of the key points together with illustrations, photographs or diagrams to summarise the main groups and how they work in the body. The book covers all the major groups of drugs, with complete listings of all the drugs available in the UK and the USA, so that the reader can locate his or her specific drug and About half of all the medicines prescribed by doctors are not taken by their patients. One of the reasons most commonly given by patients for not taking drugs is that they feel unhappy about taking medicines which they do not understand and of which they are afraid. This book attempts to rectify this problem by showing in clear, non-technical language how medicines and other drugs work in the body to reduce the effects of disease. Most chapters include fascinating background information on how some of our most important drugs were discovered, along with intriguing and often amusing anecdotes about the drugs and the people behind their discovery. The book covers all the major groups of drugs, with complete listings of all the drugs available in the UK and the USA, so that the reader can locate his or her specific drug and read about the actions of the drugs in that group. The various chapters cover drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, cancers, infections, impotence, incontinence, arthritis, osteoporosis, as well as hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives and drugs used in disorders of the brain such as schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. There is also a chapter on drugs which are abused such as cannabis, alcohol, nicotine and ecstasy, and a chapter covering poisons we encounter, such as carbon monoxide, arsenic, sheep dip, and the venom of snakes, spiders, scorpions and marine organisms. Here, then, a fascinating survey of how chemicals have their effects in the body. It shows how drugs work and explains why it is that taking some medicines for many yearsis far safer than suffering the long-term effects of disease. Pills, Potions and Poisons is an entertaining read that should also help to improve your health and quality of life. Pills, Potions And Poisons Provides In Clear, Non-technical Language An Account Of How Medicines And Other Drugs Work In The Body, With Historical, Often Amusing Anecdotes About The Discovery Of Drugs And The People Behind Their Discovery. It Covers All The Major Groups Of Drugs, With Complete Listings Of Specific Drugs Available In Both The Uk And Usa. There Is Coverage Too Of Substances Of Recreation And Abuse, And Of Some Of The Poisons We Can Encounter, Including The Venoms Of Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions, And Marine Organisms.--book Jacket. 1. How Do Drugs Work? -- 2. Breathing: Allergies, Asthma, Coughs, And Colds -- 3. Diabetes -- 4. Eating And Digestion: Ulcers, Indigestion, Diarrhoea, Constipation, And Vomiting -- 5. The Kidney -- 6. Painkillers -- 7. Headaches And Migraine -- 8. Parkinson's Disease -- 9. Schizophrenia -- 10. Alzheimer's Disease And Other Dementias -- 11. Depression -- 12. Epilepsy -- 13. Anxiety And Sleep -- 14. Blood: Anaemia And Coagulation -- 15. Blood Pressure -- 16. The Heart -- 17. Infections And Infestations -- 18. Cancer -- 19. Steroids -- 20. Rheumatic Diseases -- 21. Osteomalacia And Osteoporosis -- 22. Vitamins -- 23. Love Potions And Aphrodisiacs -- 24. Drugs Of Recreation And Misuse -- 25. Poisons -- 26. The Development Of New Drugs. Trevor Stone And Gail Darlington. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.