Depressants are psychoactive drugs A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally, to purposefully alter one' which temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind.[1] Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them, depressants are also occasionally referred to as "downers". Stimulants Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others. Due to their effects typically having an "up" quality to them, stimulants are also occasionally referred to as & or "uppers", which increase mental and/or physical function, are in stark contrast to depressants and are considered to be their functional opposites. Depressants are widely used throughout the world as prescription medicines A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug and as illicit substances The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to control drug use. Prohibition of drugs has existed at various levels of government or other authority, from the Middle Ages to the present. When these are used, effects may include anxiolysis An anxiolytic is a drug used for the treatment of symptoms of anxiety. Anxiolytics have been shown to be useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders, analgesia An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain (achieve analgesia). The word analgesic derives from Greek an- ("without") and algos ("pain"). Analgesic drugs act in various ways on the peripheral and central nervous systems; they include paracetamol (para-acetylaminophenol, also known in the US as, sedation Sedation is a medical procedure that disables a human's ability to remain active involving the administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure or diagnostic procedure. Drugs which can be used for sedation include propofol, etomidate, ketamine, fentanyl and midazolam, somnolence Somnolence is a state of near-sleep, a strong desire for sleep, or sleeping for unusually long periods (cf. hypersomnia). It has two distinct meanings, referring both to the usual state preceding falling asleep, and the chronic condition referring to being in that state independent of a circadian rhythm. The disorder characterized by the latter, cognitive/memory impairment, dissociation Dissociation is a partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of a person’s conscious or psychological functioning. Dissociation can be a response to trauma or drugs and perhaps allows the mind to distance itself from experiences that are too much for the psyche to process at that time. Dissociative disruptions can affect any aspect, muscle relaxation, lowered blood pressure Blood pressure is a force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. During each heartbeat, BP varies between a maximum (systolic) and a minimum (diastolic) pressure. The mean BP, due to pumping by the heart and resistance in blood vessels, decreases as the circulating blood moves away from/heart rate Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time - typically expressed as beats per minute - which can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep. The measurement of heart rate is used by medical professionals to assist in the diagnosis and tracking of medical conditions. It, respiratory depression In medicine, hypoventilation occurs when ventilation is inadequate (hypo means "below") to perform needed gas exchange. By definition it causes an increased concentration of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) and respiratory acidosis, anesthesia Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , has traditionally meant the condition of having sensation (including the feeling of pain) blocked or temporarily taken away. It is a pharmacologically induced reversible state of amnesia, analgesia, loss of responsiveness, loss of skeletal muscle reflexes and/or decreased stress response. This allows patients to, and anticonvulsant The anticonvulsants are a diverse group of pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, since many seem to act as mood stabilizers. The goal of an anticonvulsant is to suppress the rapid and excessive firing of neurons that start a seizure effects. Some are also capable of inducing feelings of euphoria Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental/emotional state defined as a profound sense of well-being. Technically, euphoria is an affect, but the term is often colloquially used to define emotion as an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment. The word derives from Greek εὐφορία, ". Depressants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of GABA γ-Aminobutyric acid (pronounced /ˈɡæmə əˈmiːnoʊbjuːˈtɪrɨk ˈæsɨd/, or the acronym pronounced /'gæbə/) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It plays a role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. In humans, GABA is also directly responsible for the regulation and/or opioid An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids activity, and inhibition of adrenergic, histamine Histamine is an organic nitrogen compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter. Histamine triggers the inflammatory response. As part of an immune response to foreign pathogens, histamine is produced by basophils and by mast cells found in nearby connective and/or acetylcholine The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) in many organisms including humans. Acetylcholine is one of many neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the only neurotransmitter used in the motor division of the somatic nervous system. ( activity.
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Indications
Depressants are used both individually and clinically for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of a number of indications, including the following :
- To reduce feelings of anxiety, panic,and stress.
- To induce sleepiness and relieve insomnia.
- To induce analgesia and relieve aches and pains.
- To reduce convulsions/seizures in the treatment of epilepsy Epilepsy (from the Ancient Greek ἐπιληψία — "to seize") is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, with almost 9.
- To cause muscle relaxation for those with muscle pain or spasms.
- To lower blood pressure and/or heart rate.
- To boost the mood and/or enhance sociability.
Types
Alcohol
Some typical alcoholic beverages. Main article: Alcoholic Beverage An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits Main article: Ethanol Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a powerful psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. It is best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages and thermometers. In common usage, it is often referred to simply asBarbiturates
Main article: Barbiturates Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and, by virtue of this, they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants. They have addiction potential, both physical and psychological. Barbiturates have now largelyBarbiturates are effective in relieving the conditions they are designed to address; they are also readily abused, physically addictive, and have serious potential for overdose. When, in the late 1960s, it became clear that the social cost of barbiturates were beginning to outweigh the medical benefits, a serious search began for a replacement drug. (See Methaqualone Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. Its use peaked in the 1960s and 1970s as a hypnotic, for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant. It has also been used illegally as a recreational drug, commonly known as Quaaludes or Sopors () Most people still using barbiturates today do so in the prevention of seizures or in mild form for relief from the symptoms of migraines Migraine is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily perceptions, severe headaches, and nausea. Physiologically, the migraine headache is a neurological condition more common to women than to men. The word migraine was borrowed from Old French migraigne . The French term derived from a vulgar pronunciation of the Late Latin word.
Benzodiazepines
Main article: Benzodiazepines A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. The first benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide (Librium), was discovered accidentally by Leo Sternbach in 1955, and made available in 1960 by Hoffmann–La Roche, which has also marketed diazepam (Valium) since 1963Miscellaneous
- Anticholinergics An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the peripheral nervous system. An example of an anticholinergic is gabapentin dicyclomine, and the classic example is atropine. Anticholinergics are administered to reduce the effects mediated by acetylcholine on acetylcholine receptors in (Atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid extracted from deadly nightshade , jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) and other plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a secondary metabolite of these plants and serves as a drug with a wide variety of effects. It is a competitive antagonist for the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. It, hyoscyamine Hyoscyamine, is a tropane alkaloid and the levorotary isomer to atropine. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the Solanaceae family, including henbane , mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), and deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), scopolamine Scopolamine, also known as levo-duboisine, and hyoscine, is a tropane alkaloid drug with muscarinic antagonist effects. It is obtained from plants of the family Solanaceae , such as henbane, jimson weed and Angel's Trumpets (Datura resp. Brugmansia spec.), and corkwood (Duboisia species ). It is among the secondary metabolites of these plants, etc)
- Antihistamines A histamine antagonist is an agent that inhibits action of histamine via histamine receptors. H1 antihistamines are used as treatment for symptoms of allergies such as runny nose. Allergies are caused by an excessive type 1 hypersensitivity response of the body to allergens, such as pollen released by plants. An allergic reaction, which if severe (Diphenhydramine Diphenhydramine hydrochloride is a first generation antihistamine mainly used to treat allergies. Like most other first generation antihistamines, the drug also has a powerful hypnotic effect, and for this reason is often used as a non-prescription sleep aid and a mild anxiolytic. The drug also acts as an antiemetic. It is produced and marketed, doxylamine Doxylamine succinate is one of the many sedating antihistamines used by itself as a short-term sedative, and in combination with other drugs as a night-time cold and allergy relief drug. It is also used in combination with the analgesics paracetamol and codeine as an analgesic/calmative preparation, and is prescribed in combination with vitamin B6, promethazine Promethazine is a first-generation H1 receptor antagonist of the phenothiazine chemical class used medically as an antihistamine antiemetic. It has a strong sedative effect and in some countries is prescribed for insomnia when benzodiazepines are contraindicated. It is available over the counter in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada,, etc)
- Antipsychotics An antipsychotic is a tranquilizing psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions or hallucinations, as well as disordered thought), particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s. Most of the drugs in the second (Haloperidol Haloperidol is a typical antipsychotic. It is in the butyrophenone class of antipsychotic medications and has pharmacological effects similar to the phenothiazines, chlorpromazine Chlorpromazine is a typical antipsychotic. First synthesized on December 11, 1950, chlorpromazine was the first drug developed with specific antipsychotic action, and would serve as the prototype for the phenothiazine class of drugs, which later grew to comprise several other agents. The introduction of chlorpromazine into clinical use has been, clozapine Clozapine is an antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia. The first of the atypical antipsychotics to be developed, it was first introduced in Europe in 1971, but was voluntarily withdrawn by the manufacturer in 1975 after it was shown to cause agranulocytosis, a condition involving a dangerous decrease in the number of, etc)
- Beta Blockers Beta blockers is a class of drugs used for various indications, but particularly for the management of cardiac arrhythmias, cardioprotection after myocardial infarction (heart attack), and hypertension. As beta adrenergic receptor antagonists, they diminish the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) and other stress hormones. Invented by Sir James W (Propanolol, atenolol Atenolol is a selective β1 receptor antagonist, a drug belonging to the group of beta blockers (sometimes written β-blockers), a class of drugs used primarily in cardiovascular diseases. Introduced in 1976, atenolol was developed as a replacement for propranolol in the treatment of hypertension. The chemical works by slowing down the heart and, etc)
- Dissociatives These four groups of dissociatives have slightly different effects but also share similarities separating them from other classes of hallucinogens. They are markedly different from psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms , where alert and fully conscious users experience cognitive alterations while simultaneously interacting with the " (Dextromethorphan Dextromethorphan is an antitussive (cough suppressant) drug. It is one of the active ingredients in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, such as Robitussin, NyQuil, Dimetapp, Vicks, Coricidin, Delsym, and others, including generic labels. Dextromethorphan has also found other uses in medicine, ranging from pain relief to psychological, ketamine Ketamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine developed by Parke-Davis in 1962. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist. At high, fully anesthetic level doses, ketamine has also been found to bind to opioid μ receptors and sigma receptors, phencyclidine Phencyclidine (a complex clip of the chemical name 1-piperidine, commonly initialized as PCP), also known as angel dust and other street names, is a recreational, dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. Developed in 1926, it was first patented in 1952 by the Parke-Davis, nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a chemical compound with the formula N2O. It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the, etc)
- Muscle Relaxants A muscle relaxant is a drug which affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics. Neuromuscular blockers act by (Carisoprodol Carisoprodol is a centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant. It is a colorless, crystalline powder, having a mild characteristic odor and a bitter taste. Carisoprodol is slightly soluble in water and freely soluble in alcohol, chloroform and acetone. The drug's solubility is practically independent of pH. Carisoprodol is manufactured and marketed, cyclobenzaprine Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant medication used to relieve skeletal muscle spasms and associated pain in acute musculoskeletal conditions. It is the most well-studied drug for this application, and it also has been used off-label for fibromyalgia treatment, etc)
- Nonbenzodiazepines The nonbenzodiazepines, also called benzodiazepine-like drugs, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose pharmacological actions are similar to those of the benzodiazepines, but are structurally distant or unrelated to the benzodiazepines on a chemical level. They have similar side effects and benefits and risks as the benzodiazepines (Zaleplon Zaleplon is a sedative/hypnotic, mainly used for insomnia. It is a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic from the pyrazolopyrimidine class. In terms of adverse effects zaleplon appears to offer little improvement compared to both benzodiazepines and other non-benzodiazepine Z-drugs, zolpidem, zopiclone, etc)
Opioids
Main article: OpioidCombinations
Combining multiple depressants can be very dangerous because the CNS depressive properties has been proposed to increase exponentially instead of linearly. This characteristic makes depressants a common choice for deliberate overdoses in the case of suicide. The use of alcohol or benzodiazepines along with the usual dose of heroin is often the cause of overdose deaths in opiate addicts.
See also
References
- ^ "MSDS Glossary". http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/msds/glossary/?page=d. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
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Stop Aging Now
One trial comparing the herbal remedy, St. John's Wort to the anti- depressant drug, Zoloft found that the herb cured 24% of the depressed people, ...
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hu, 12 Aug 2010 07:00:00 GM
I had an appointment with my Psych. last week and he added another anti . depressant. to the one I'm already taking. That did NOT go over very well. It made me feel horrible so I stopped it. I was trying to explain to him how I've been ...
