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Pharmacologic Considerations for Shuttle Astronauts
Author(s) -
Santy Patricia A.,
Bungo Michael W.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
the journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.92
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1552-4604
pISSN - 0091-2700
DOI - 10.1002/j.1552-4604.1991.tb03652.x
Subject(s) - crew , space shuttle , medicine , aeronautics , aviation medicine , medical emergency , engineering , aerospace engineering
Medication usage by crewmembers in the preflight and inflight mission periods is common in the Shuttle Program. The most common medical reports for which medication is used are: space motion sickness (SMS), sleeplessness, headache, and backache. A number of medications are available in the Shuttle Medical Kit to treat these problems. Currently, astronauts test all frequently used medications before mission assignment to identify potential side‐effects, problems related to performance, personal likes/dislikes, and individual therapeutic effect. However, microgravity‐induced changes in drug pharmacokinetics, in combination with multiple operational factors, may significantly alter crew‐member responses inflight. This article discusses those factors that may impact pharmacologic efficacy during Shuttle missions.