Unit 5

UNIT 5
This Medicine Will Help You.

A. GETTING STARTED
1. Classify the drugs a-h accordng to type.
a. Paracetamol
b. Cyclizine
c. Salbutanol
d. Aspirin
e. Amoxicillin
f. Ranitidine
g. Chlorphenamine
h. Diazapam
1. ________ antibiotic
2. ________ analgesic
3. ________ antiemetic
4. ________ sedative/ hypnotic
5. ________ gastrointestinal
6. ________ antihistamine
7. ________ cardiovascular
8. ________ respiratory
2. Work in pairs. Discuss the benefit of each drug given.

Useful expressions:
It is used to ...
It’s prescribed in order to ...
It helps ...
3. What body licences or approves drugs in your country?
4. What is your opinion of the generic versions of medicines.

B. CONVERSATION
Read and practice the dialogue below.
Doctor : Good afternoon, Mr.Johnson. My name is Dr. Howard. How are you
today?
Patient : I’m fine, doctor.
Doctor : That’s good. Well, ... I’ve got some good news for you. You’ve made
very good progress and we’re going to let you go home.
Patient : Really?
Doctor : Yes. But before you go, there’s just one or two things to do. I can
see you’re very pleased about going home.
Patient : Well, I am.
Doctor : Well, we won’t keep you long then. First, I’d just like to have a brief
chat with you about your medication.
Patient : OK
Doctor :We’re going to give you lots of tablets to take with you ... and make
you rattle a bit.
Patient : OK. I thought that might happen.
Doctor : Right. Now, if at any time you want to stop me and ask questions,
feel free to do so. There’s a lot of information to take in at one time.
Patient : Yeah, fine.
Doctor : The first tablet, which I am sure you’re familiar with, is this little
white one, aspirin.
Patient : Yeah.
Doctor : We’re going to give you a very small dose of 75 milligrams. It’s a
much smaller dose than you’d normally buy over the counter. You
take it by mouth once a day after a meal from now on.
Patient : OK. Why do I need to take it?
Doctor : The aspirin will help you a bit, as it thins the blood and so helps to
prevent further attacks.
Patient : OK.That’s good.
Doctor : Now as with everything we take there are some possible side
effects.
And I emphazise the word possible, as you may not get any of them.
But I just have to point them out, so you are aware of them and can
do something about it if anything happens.
Patient : OK.
Doctor : Sometimes people get an upset stomach. Or aspirin can make the
stools of some people dark and smelly or it can cause bleeding like
nose bleeds or shortness of breath. But remember, I’m just pointing
them out so that you’re aware of them. Also look at the leaflet that
comes with the tablets. If you do get anything just get in touch with
your GP. Is everything OK, so far?
Patient : Yeah.
Doctor : OK. Would you like to get through everything and explain it to me?
Answer the questions.
1. Work in pairs. Find the benefits and side effects of aspirin.

2. Answer the questions below based on the above conversation.
Does the doctor:
a. use simple non-technical language?
b. explain the function of the medication clearly?
c. ask the patient to repeat the information given?
C. LANGUAGE SPOT
Explaining side effects: can/ may
- When you explain the benefits of a drug to a patient, you state what the drug
does. To show that a drug or medicine causes side effects in some people, it is
important to understand the difference between can and may. Both words are
used to express possibility and are often used interchangeably. However, can
indicates a theoretical possibility while may indicates a real possibility.
Compare:
That door can be locked.
o It is possible to lock that door. Right now, it is either locked or unlocked.
That door may be locked.
o It is possible that the door is locked right now. If it is locked, we won’t be
able to open it.
Can
- Can is used to say that a side effect is possible.
This medication can cause some stomach irritation.
It is possible for this medication to cause some stomach irritation
Here, can indicates that stomach irritation is a possibility. To reassure patients,

you can emphasize that the side effect is theoretically possible, but not of
serious concern to the patient you’re talking to.
This occasionally causes stomach irritation in some people.

Sometimes, people get stomach irritation with this but it isn’t usually a problem.
May
- May also expresses that a side effect is possible.
This medication may cause some stomach irritation.
It is possible that this medication will cause some stomach irritation.
In this case, may indicates the possibility of the statement being or becoming
true. The word may in this sense is frequently stressed and indicates that
stomach irritation is a strong possibility. You may want to emphasize this.
There’s a strong possibility that this will upset your stomach.
Abbreviations
Here are the common prescription abbreviations with their meaning.
Abbreviatio Meaning
n
PO by mouth/ orally
prn as required
stat immediately
od once a day
g gram
TT two tablets
om in the morning
on at night
bd twice a day
tds to be taken three times a day
qds to be taken four times a day
IV intravenous
IM intramuscular
SC subcutaneous
PR by the rectum
INH by inhalation
NEB By nebuliser
Practice
1. Use the words to complete the sentences.
possibility will probably

may can may not
1. In some people, it can cause a fleeting headache, but it doesn’t mean you
______ get one.
2. Theoretically, this can cause low blood pressure, but you ______ won’t have a
problem.
3. Some people get blurred vision, but it _________ happen in your case.
4. There’s a strong _____ that this will upset your stomach. In fact, it may make you
feel really ill.
5. Swelling of the ankle is not common, but it is possible – it _______ happen.
6. This _________ make you feel dizzy, so you should be careful when you drive.
2. Work in pairs. Say the meaning of these abbreviations used in administering

drugs.
the frequency of drugs:

on, bd,tds,qds, 4-6h, 8h,1-4h
the route of administration:

IV, IM, SC, PR, INH, NEB
measurement:
mg, ml
D. PRACTICE
1. Work in pairs. Take turns reading this chart aloud. Say the abbreviations
as complete words.
Drug Dose Freq Route 24h Max

paracetamol 1g qds PO 4g
loperamide 4 mg PRN PO 16 mg
ranitidine 150 mg bd PO 300 mg
atorvastatin 10 (10-80 od PO 80 mg
mg)
Example:
Give the patient one gram of paracetamol four times a day by mouth up to a
maximum of 4 grams.
2. Work in pairs. Discuss the benefits and side effects of paracetamol or

amoxicillin.
Make sentences like those in Language Spot Practice1.
E. ON YOUR OWN
Create a conversation between a doctor and a patient about dealing with medication. In
your conversation include the explanation of the benefits and side effects to the patient
and how to administer the drugs.

Unit 5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit 5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit 5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

UNIT 5

This Medicine Will Help You.

1. Classify the drugs a-h accordng to type.

2. Work in pairs. Discuss the benefit of each drug given.

3. What body licences or approves drugs in your country?

4. What is your opinion of the generic versions of medicines.

Read and practice the dialogue below.

1. Work in pairs. Find the benefits and side effects of aspirin.

Here, can indicates that stomach irritation is a possibility. To reassure patients,

This occasionally causes stomach irritation in some people.

Here are the common prescription abbreviations with their meaning.

1. Use the words to complete the sentences.

possibility will probably

2. Work in pairs. Say the meaning of these abbreviations used in administering

the frequency of drugs:

the route of administration:

Drug Dose Freq Route 24h Max

2. Work in pairs. Discuss the benefits and side effects of paracetamol or

You might also like