Pencil and Paper Activity:
    Compare the Painkillers

    If you haven't already read A Festival of Analgesics, go read it now. Once you've read that, you can begin the challenge. The following two exercises are designed to teach you how to be informed consumers when it comes to choosing an over-the-counter pain remedy. They are NOT intended to make you able to make foolproof clinical decisions concerning the administration of any medicines.

    Investigation #1

    Your teacher will show you a label for a nonprescription pain reliever. For which of the following people would you recommend its use? (You can recommend it to more than one person.)

    1. an elderly person who has recently suffered a heart attack
    2. a one-year-old baby with teething pain
    3. a nine-year-old with a sprained ankle
    4. an alcoholic who has a stomach ulcer

    Investigation #2

    This time your teacher is going to give you labels from five different pain relievers. Match the drug with the following pain-sufferers.

    1. a person who suffers from a simple headache
    2. an elderly person who suffers from arthritis
    3. an adult who is severely allergic to aspirin
    4. a pregnant woman who experiences back pain
    5. a seven-year-old child with a high fever and body aches of unknown cause
    6. an adult with potential cardiovascular impairment
    7. an adult with suspected liver damage who suffers a severe headache
    8. a teenager who takes prescription medication to treat diabetes

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