Are the side effects of psychoactive drugs worth their intended purpose?
Advisor: Monica Isquith
Internship Location: APG Labs
Onsite Mentor: Irfan Saeed
Through this research project, I want to draw attention to the side effects of medications that have been repurposed from their original intent and their impact on patients’ quality of life. While some medications are necessary for patients, altering them for different goals can shift the cost-benefit ratio. This change is not necessarily accounted for by the U.S. healthcare system, where they focus on fast symptomatic relief rather than long-term treatment. During my internship at APG Labs in Baltimore, I will survey patients to learn about their symptoms and medication side effects. I aim to understand the patient's personal experience with the medication and the cost-benefit ratio they undergo.
Project Blog
Post 1: Off-Label drug use: A deeper dive into prescriptions and their commercialization
This week, I focused on clarifying my writing so that the information is presented in a way that is clear and engaging. This involved fixing grammatical errors, simplifying unnecessary text, and using imagery to explain complex topics. Similar to last week, I analyzed two more sources and developed narrative-style paragraphs. I have also begun to meet with my team leader at APG Labs to discuss my internship schedule in more depth. These meetings allow me to ask clarifying questions and understand what is expected of me during my time there. This is in preparation for my on-site placement at APG labs. Overall, I have continued with my narrative writing but have shifted some of my attention to my upcoming internship placement.
Post 2: Introduction Blog: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Off-Label Drugs
I am studying the side effects of popular psychoactive drugs and analyzing the shifting cost-benefit analysis that occurs with off-label use. I will also be covering the American healthcare system's focus on prescription and the "most efficacious solution".
One of the things that has led me to take on this project is my strong interest in healthcare. My father is a psychiatrist, which is a medical doctor who prescribes medication to patients with psychological disorders. By being exposed to his line of work from a young age, I was drawn to the complex disorders that my father dealt with. One thing that I observed was that although these disorders were different, some medications could be used to treat multiple disorders.
I also remember discussing with my father how certain medications can impact brain chemistry and what side effects can result from them. I am fascinated not only by how the human body works, but also by how medicine can improve someone’s quality of life. Being able to combine science with compassion is something that truly inspires and motivates me to explore this path further.
Because of this interest, I decided to pursue an internship at APG Labs in Baltimore. In this internship, I will have the opportunity to observe and assist a licensed physician, collaborating with a team of medical professionals. Through this experience, I hope to gain firsthand exposure to patient care and learn more about how treatments are prescribed and what is considered during diagnosis. Working at this internship will allow me to directly work with patients who have been diagnosed and are currently on prescription medications. In this internship, I hope to understand the real-life impact of psychiatric care beyond what I have learned at home.
Post 3: Blog #1: Source Analysis
While working on my senior project, one aspect that I am currently focusing on is constructive analysis of sources. My goal is to present information substantially and productively to my audience in hopes to better inform them. One way in which I have started meeting this goal is through narrative notes on sources. This week, I have reviewed five sources, written a summary for each of them, and then looked over each summary and highlighted key information I would like to add to my paper. After this process, I took these highlighted parts and created a narrative paragraph that details the information in an approachable way. I used simple examples to help draw bigger conclusions and used imagery to make things more seamless. One thing I have realized throughout my research is that in order to appeal to the average American in regards to the healthcare system, prescription medication, and FDA regulations, the language you use must be practical and convenient. By taking a more narrative approach to my writing, I hope to broaden my reach to a bigger audience.
Post 4: Blog #2: More Literature Review
This week, I continued exploring the narrative writing style. My goal has been to create a more engaging and simplistic way to present information. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I created narrative paragraphs of about five different sources to present information in an approachable way. These paragraphs served as a foundation for me to build my research in a way that can effectively convey key points. This week, I focused on reformatting these narrative paragraphs into a structured narrative essay. This involved drawing connections between the various sources that support my research questions. Additionally, I also incorporated more sources, and I've already begun a thorough analysis of these new materials by examining their relevance and how they complement my existing sources. Overall, this week I have been refining my narrative writing and progressing slowly through my sources.
Post 5: Blog #3: Internship Prep
This week, I focused on clarifying my writing so that the information is presented in a way that is clear and engaging. This involved fixing grammatical errors, simplifying unnecessary text, and using imagery to explain complex topics. Similar to last week, I analyzed two more sources and developed narrative-style paragraphs. I have also begun to meet with my team leader at APG Labs to discuss my internship schedule in more depth. These meetings allow me to ask clarifying questions and understand what is expected of me during my time there. This is in preparation for my on-site placement at APG labs. Overall, I have continued with my narrative writing but have shifted some of my attention to my upcoming internship placement.
Post 6: Blog #4: First Draft!
This week, I focused on the upcoming first draft of my senior project. I worked on creating a more engaging introduction for my paper to grab people's attention. I decided that for my introduction, I would focus on how psychoactive drugs are becoming easier for the general public to access. Through this introduction, I want to focus on bringing urgency to my topic rather than simply restating information. Most of this week has been spent compiling the narrative paragraphs I created into one document for review. Overall, this week was spent collecting my various writings into one larger document for review.
Post 7: Blog #5: On-site internship placement
This week marked the official beginning of my in-person commute to my internship at APG Labs. During this in-person, I was first introduced to the foundational principles of how an organization works within a laboratory setting. One of my main responsibilities was to develop an inventory log, a tool used to track items. As part of this process, I created labels for different kinds of equipment, including larger items such as printers, computers, chairs, pipette machines, and centrifuges, as well as smaller wireless computers. Each label was designed to include essential details that were needed for the system. First, I wrote the precise location of the item so it can be found efficiently in case of emergencies. This is a very common tactic used in hospitals where time and accuracy are critical. Next, I wrote a clear description of the item and wrote down any relevant serial numbers.
I realized that even behind-the-scenes tasks are crucial to the healthcare system. What seems like routine clerical work is actually vital for a well-functioning lab, benefiting both staff and patients through an organized and efficient environment. I designed this inventory log so that it is able to be renewed and updated annually, which is an important ritual that most large health institutions follow. Over time, equipment may be moved to different areas, replaced, or discarded, and by updating these logs, all of these items can be accounted for.
I realized that even what seems like routine clerical work is actually important for a well-functioning lab because it benefits both staff and patients through an organized and efficient environment.
Post 8: Blog #6: "Off-Label" uses with FDA approved drugs
This week, I decided to look into the different caveats of how FDA-approved drugs are prescribed to patients. According to the official U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the definition of “off-label” use is when FDA approval is not required, and we cannot determine with 100% accuracy whether a given administration has not been officially approved by the FDA. Although drugs go under numerous trials and rigorous clinical testing to prove their safety and effectiveness, the FDA does not evaluate unapproved uses, meaning their risks and benefits are not as certain.
This means it is not the FDA that approves the drug for use for different purposes, but the healthcare providers themselves, and although most have medical training and have a deep understanding of pharmaceutical drugs, there is usually no long-term testing for off-label uses. Healthcare providers will prescribe these drugs for different disorders because a treatment is not yet available for the specific disorder, or if the treatment is ineffective. Unfortunately, these off-label uses lack the FDA’s approval, and we are unable to determine with one hundred percent accuracy if the drug is safe for different treatments.
Through my project, I want to bring awareness to medication's risks, the available evidence of its effectiveness, and patients should have the right to understand that the drug they are taking has not been specifically tested for the distinct disorder or health condition they might have. Most healthcare providers have a clear understanding of the side effects the medication they are prescribing has, but what they do not take into account is the cost-benefit ratio that the medication has for the patient. For example, a patient with schizophrenia has to take medication continuously because of their chronic condition, regardless of the adverse side effects the medication may have, but if a patient had an acute disorder where medication may not be required, then the adverse side effects have more of an effect. Patients should be encouraged to discuss the risks of the medication, available evidence for effectiveness in treatment, and alternative treatments with their healthcare provider.
Post 9: Blog #7: A Turning Point
This week, my research took a more focused and concluding turn as I began considering my central question: Are the side effects of psychoactive drugs worth their intended purpose? The more I explored this, the more I realized that the answer isn’t as straightforward as I initially thought. It depends heavily on the context, severity of the condition, and how the drug is being used. One factor that I hadn’t taken into account was the commercialization of psychoactive drugs and how it can be normalized within society. Through this, I decided to narrow my overall scope and change the title to be: Off-Label drug use: A deeper dive into prescriptions and their commercialization.
This change wasn’t easy for me to accept, as I took time to reflect on the overall message of my project. I recognized that our perceptions of side effects can vary depending on the context, while advertisements for drugs are presented more objectively. Instead of focusing just on the biological impacts of the prescription, I wanted to focus more on the commercialization of pharmaceuticals are and how catering to certain demographics can be harmful. As my research went on, I noticed that while there are regulations on prescription medications, there are also billion-dollar companies involved that prioritize profit above all else.
To introduce this idea in my paper, I worked on building a strong narrative hook that challenges the way we typically think about drugs in American culture. I used alcohol as an example of a widely normalized psychoactive substance. When you really consider the biological impacts of alcohol, you will find a long list of side effects, like dizziness, slurred speech, and memory loss, along with more serious long-term effects like liver disease, cancer, and cognitive deterioration. Despite this, it remains deeply embedded in everyday life; it's present at weddings, birthdays, holidays, and social events. Alcohol isn’t considered a “drug,” it's a 122.63 billion dollar industry. This epiphany helped me highlight a key idea in my project: just because something is normalized or accessible does not mean it is harmless. I plan to use this as a bridge into discussing prescription psychoactive drugs, which can be advertised into normalcy, making people trust them without the same level of questioning.
Overall, this week felt like a turning point in my project. Instead of just gathering information, I began connecting ideas and forming a clearer argument.
Post 10: Blog #8: Survey Responses
This week, I submitted the final draft of my research analysis, which was a huge goal in the completion of my project. When submitting my work, I started collecting and organizing the results from the survey I created. This survey was created using Google Docs and was posted with a QR code in the hopes that the patients of APG Labs would respond. I have not yet received enough responses to make a fully definitive claim or draw broad conclusions from the data. However, I was still able to begin examining patterns and trends within the responses I did gather.
To better understand the information I collected so far, I created several visual graphs and charts to represent the survey results. These visuals helped me identify and analyze different trends. Even with a smaller sample size, analyzing the data allowed me to focus on biases that the location may have, and I could incorporate that into my research project and discussion section.
I realized that I needed to expand my survey’s reach in order to receive more conclusive results. During this time, I will get in contact with other physicians’ offices through personal connections and post the survey in hopes of getting more results. Moving forward, I hope to get more results to incorporate into my research.