Monday, September 28, 2009

AED's, Beta-Blockers, & Opioids!

OK, so by the title of this post, I bet you guys know what's on my mind! Pharmacology! Oh yeah! Fun stuff right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I will not be going into all the details about the wonderful world of Pharm! BUT....I thought I would share with you guys a fun Pharm mnemonic!

2-Cocks are bad, while 1-Cock is good! Ok, yes, I did say Cock, but it is actually a play on the word COX. Which is actually cyclooxygenase (See why they call it COX?) I actually wanted to mention COX-2 inhibitor drugs because we being crossfitters, are actually well known to some of these drugs. COX-1 is good, and COX-2 is bad, just like I mentioned but with dirtier words. The enzyme COX-2 is responsible for inflammation, fever, and pain. COX-1 is responsible for increasing the protective gastric mucus which is good since our stomach is acidic and it protects us from ourselves. So, can anyone guess what type of drug we would use to inhibit COX-2? Anyone? Ok, I am going to pretend like someone said the right answer. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin! Let me dissect each of these drugs for a minute. (You guys didn't know that you would be getting a lecture did you? hehe...but I actually do think it is important that you know a little bit about the drugs you are taking)

Aspirin: Nonselective inhibitor. This means that it can inhibit either COX-1 or COX-2. What's the big thing with Aspirin? It "thins" your blood right? Well, technically no. It doesn't actually thin your blood, it just makes your platelets (those really cool things that make blood clots when you rip your hands doing a million pull ups or kettlebell swings) not stick together. Hence the reason that it is recommended to take Aspirin to prevent heart attacks from blood clots. (Preventing clotting is an inhibition of COX-1). With regards to COX-1 inhibition and Aspirin, it also reduces those protective gastric secretions making you prone to ulcers. Which is no bueno. It also inhibits COX-2, which decreases are fever, pain, and inflammation. Which is a good thing! But by taking Aspirin there really isn't a way for you to tell that pill only inhibit COX-2 so I feel better, you gotta inhibit the good COX-1 as well. :( Sign to watch out for if you are an Aspirin popper: ringing in the ears (first sign of toxicity). And please guys, no alcohol with Aspirin, just makes the blood "thinner" and then when you fall and hit your head because you are dizzy, you have this head bleed and a large laceration that I have to fix. And guys...I love playing with staplers...so I will show no mercy! ;) (OH yeah, and don't give to children under 18..bad bad things could happen.)

Tylenol: Who doesn't love tylenol (besides you Carrie). Tylenol rocks. It is a selective inhibitor of the bad COX-2. By selective I mean, that it inhibits parts of it, but not all. Tylenol will make your fever go away and help with the pain...BUT does not help with the anti-inflammatory parts. :( Sadness right? Also with tylenol, you aren't making your blood "thinner". Tylenol is good because it doesn't inhibit COX-1, so our stomach is still being protected. Which is a good thing right? Tylenol is great for children. Bad thing about tylenol....liver toxicity. So, if you have liver damage or you are a big alcoholic, lets not take this. Love your liver guys! It saves you from yourself! :)

Ibuprofen: AKA: Motrin, Advil, Naproxen (the list goes on and on...many different names, same drug). This should be in every CrossFitters medicine cabinet. It works great for fever, pain, AND inflammation (All those things that COX-2 does, we are making better)! (But also, for the ladies...helps with those menstrual cycle cramps). Now it does inhibit some COX-1, but not really that much, but enough. Things to watch out for with ibuprofen, would be if you have liver or kidney disease, allergies to aspirin, and drinking alcohol while taking the ibuprofen. (Yep, alcohol is never a good thing to take with any drug in case you haven't figured that out)

Now, as we all know....(or you do now)....there is no such thing as a "SAFE" drug. Every drug has side effects. With drugs, we need to be looking at what it does and the side effects. Now, side effects are usually present when you take too much of a drug. And every person reacts differently to a certain drug. So, you have to know your body and know what it can and can not handle.

Did you guys like that little lesson in over the counter medications? On another note, I have noticed that everyone is posting a lot less than normal. I understand that life is busy, believe me, I do. But what was the point of these blogs? We made these blogs so that we could learn about ourselves, and each other through our failures and victories.

I read your guys stuff every other day, if not every day. Sometimes, I may not comment. But I do read it. And I realize that I have been slacking the most. I blame school. To some, that may be a valid reason, but I am not going to try to let it be a reason anymore. Granted, I am not crossfitting as much as I used to be, but I am still living life. So, even if I don't workout, I am still going to keep you posted, and will be giving you guys "lessons" about our bodies and processes. I am a firm believer that knowledge is the key, and if you know how to treat something, or know the signs, you are going to be much better off. I want you guys to be healthy and live long. So, these things need to be learned now!

Yesterday: I did workout! Felt great to be back in the gym. I did a mile on the elliptical to get my heart rate up. Then, did 3 rounds 5-pull ups and 5-ring dips. Fun! (Yeah right!). Then went to bench press to work on my arms. Did:
45# x10
55# x 8
60# x 5
65# x5
70#x 5
75# x 5

And arms are feeling it today! Love that feeling! After that, did 140 sit ups. Not the most Crossfit workout, but it was what I felt like doing, so that's what I did! :)

Oh, and the next blog I am planning on doing will be one about sleep fitness, since every sounds like they don't get enough sleep!

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the drug breakdown! I only take stuff during that one super-awesome-happy time of the month, and it's good to know my ibuprofen was the right choice!

    I'm glad you'll be posting more stuff like this. Thanks!

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  2. No problem Jamie! I figure this is a good way to study. And it lets you guys learn about things that can be useful. I am going to try to tailor blogs to be informative for crossfitters. :)

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