Pencil-and-Paper Activity:
    Compare the Painkillers

    Answers for Investigation #1
    Answers for Investigation #2
    Relevant National Science Education Standards
    Relevant New Jersey State Science Curriculum Standards

    It is important that the students read A Festival of Analgesics before they do this activity. The separate activity The Aspirin Label also is useful as a preliminary exercise. The exercise on this page will show how well the students can read the label of a medicine bottle and make decisions using the information on the label. You will provide bottles (with labels) of a variety of over-the-counter pain relievers.

    Investigation #1

    For the first question, you will give the students a bottle of children's aspirin (81 mg per tablet), and the students will be asked which patients from a list could probably take the medicine safely.

    The student question:

    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

    The second question is a bit more involved. This time there will be up to five different types of pain relievers, and we will "prescribe" one to each of four patients, based on the information on the medicine labels. The choice of which four pain relievers is up to you. Here is a suggested menu of pain relievers to provide the students:

      a children's aspirin
      an extra-strength aspirin
      an acetaminophen product
      an ibuprofen product
      a naproxen sodium product

    The student question:

    You have four 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

    Relevant National Science Education Standards

      Unifying Concepts and Processes — This activity reinforces understanding of the interaction of analgesics with the body's chemical and biological systems.

      Science and Technology — The activity reinforces understanding of the abilities and limits of OTC pain-reliever technology.

      Science in Personal and Social Perspectives — The activity clearly demonstrates the relationship between science and health.

    Relevant New Jersey State Science Curriculum Standards

      5.1 This activity stresses practical decision making based on information concerning different pain relievers.

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