DRUGS USAGE IN UDC CAMPUS

Drugs Usage in UDC Campus

Drugs Usage in UDC Campus

Problem Statement

There is a significant difference between the male and females students at the UDC campus ranging from ages 18-25 years, who have been peer pressured into using an illegal or prescription drug (Marijuana, Heroin, PCP, LSD, Crack, Cocaine, Methamphetamines, Hydrocodone, OxyContin or any prescription Drug).

Independent Variable

Illegal or prescription drug is the independent variable in this study.

Dependent Variable

Male and female students are dependent variable in this study.

Sample Population

Sample population for this study is the students of UDC Campus aged 18-25 of both the genders.

Geographical Locations

The geographical location in order to conduct this research method is Washington DC, UDC campus.

Literature Review

Adult food habits, too, are influenced by psychosocial factors. Many adults inflated concepts regarding the benefits of eccentric dietary habits, including the use of idiosyncratic diets for weight-reduction. The elderly are probably the most vulnerable to food and drug interactions, the effects of which may result from many interrelated conditions. These conditions include normal physiological decline, persistence of chronic disease, limited nutrient uptake and utilization, and psychological and socio-economic factors that alter food selection and consumption. Many problems are compounded further by the large number of drugs prescribed. Because, polypharmacy is a way of life for most of these patents, drug usage can cause a marginally nourished individual to become nutritionally deficient if proper guidance is not given with regard to food intake and drug therapy.

Examples of foods that can alter drug absorption include fiber, high-protein diets, milk and milk products, fat and food in general (Hethocox and Stamaszek, 1974) (Table I). The presence of food in the stomach, especially if it is fatty, delays gastric emptying and the absorption of certain drugs, the plasma concentration of ampicillin and rifamfiicin may be much reduced if they are taken on a full stomach. More specifically, calcium e.g. in milk, interferes with absorption of tetracyclius and iron (by chelation) (Lawrence et al., 1997). In spite of the beneficial effects of fiber for the regulation of bowel movements and the prevention of constipation and irritable bowls syndrome, individuals being treated with digoxin need to be aware that meals high in bran fiber may reduce the amount of drug absorbed (Anonymous, 1982).

Milk and milk products can also decrease drug absorption. Calcium in milk and milk products forms complexes with tetracycline which inhibit the absorption of both the drug and the minerals such interactions, however, do not imply that milk or milk products should be eliminated from the diet; only that the drug be taken when food is not present in the stomach (Lawrence et al., 1997; Brown, 1995). Milky meals can also inhibit the absorption of methotrexate, an anticancer drug (Pinkerton et al., 1980). The specific components in the milky meal that inhibited the absorption of this drug have not yet been identified, nor has the clinical significance of this interaction been established.

In some instances, it is advantageous to take drugs with specific foods or with ...