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Pearson Health Ch. 17 Test Vocab

Terms in this set (43)

medicines
legal drugs that help the body fight injury, illness, or disease.
over-the-counter drug
A medicine that is sold legally in pharmacies and other stores without a doctor's prescription.
prescription drug
A drug that can be obtained only with a written order from a doctor and can be purchased only at a pharmacy.
illegal drug
chemical substance that people of any age may not lawfully manufacture, possess, buy or sell.
drug misuse
the improper use of medicines-either prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
drug abuse
When a drug is intentionally used improperly or unsafely.
psychoactive drug
A mood-altering drug that is a chemical that affects brain activity.
side effect
An unwanted physical or mental effect caused by a drug.
reward pathway
Many psychoactive drugs trigger activity along a path of cells in the brain called the...
dopamine
This chemical, though not dangerous in itself, is very dangerous when in association with drug use.
dependence
A chemical need for a drug and the body cannot function without it.
tolerance
when a drug is used repeatedly, this can form, requiring more and more of the drug as the body gets used to it.
withdrawal symptoms
If a person who is dependent on a psychoactive drug stops taking the drug, that person will experience this.
drug antagonism
When each drug's effect is canceled out or reduced by the other.
drug synergism
when drugs interact to produce greater effects than those that each drug would produce alone.
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