Contrast the mechanism of action of the barbiturates and the benzodiazepines as hypnotics. Discuss the advantages of the benzodiazepines over the barbiturates.
There are specific benzodiazepine receptors in the nervous system that mostly surrounds the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and limbic system. Barbiturates have their own binding sites and modulate the chloride channel. They increase the duration of this channel, while benzodiazepines increase the frequency. Also barbiturates are less selective than benzodiazepines on the CNS. Barbiturates are positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptors. These drugs bind to this receptor at the beta end, which are distinct from GABA and benzodiazepine binding sites as well as block the AMPA receptor. Benzodiazepines increase the efficiency of GABA, which reduces neurons excitability, allowing functions in the brain to go in a calming effect due to less communication between neurons. Conduction of chloride ions across the cell membrane increases when the benzodiazepines bind to the GABA receptor. Benzodiazepines have many advantages over barbiturates making it favored in the pharmaceutical industry for hypnotics. The drugs have a much higher therapeutic index than barbiturates, making it a much safer drug to use due to a greater safety margin. Rem-type sleep is crucial for feeling rested after a sleep. Barbiturates suppress this greatly while Benzodiazepines doesn’t nearly as much. Both of these drugs assist with relaxation and tranquility but may also impair motor function. A possible side effect with patients who use barbiturate at a moderate dose is becoming hostile as well as being in a state of pleasurable intoxication. The danger of taking a high dose of barbiturates is severe as i...
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...el and formation of thrombi. Over 7000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke cause breathing difficulty, wheezing, lung infections and chest pain. The long-term effects of smoking can cause many cancers as it contains many carcinogens. It is the leading cause of cancer affecting the lungs, mouth, throat, kidney, stomach and many other areas. Not only do tobacco products affect the user, but also the ones around them. Second-hand smoke can increase lung cancer, heart and breathing problems, as well as a premature death. In pregnant women, the unborn baby may be subject to health problems. By eliminating tobacco products, not only do previous smokers reduce the risk of developing cancer, but also can reduce their chance of dying prematurely by a very large percentage. For example, quitting at the age of 30 can reduce their chance of dying prematurely by over 90 percent.
It is not uncommon for a patient to experience pain and anxiety before or after a major procedure or breathing treatment. Imagining the myriad of complications that might occur during an operation can send one into multiple panic attacks. Coping with the loss of mobility and independence joined by the pain that accompanies recovery are only a few examples of the complex and traumatic experiences awaiting pre/post-operation patients. Fortunately, a medication was synthesized by Armin Walser and Rodney I. Fryer in 1975 to aid patients by easing anxiety and promoting sleepiness before an operation. An added benefit was that the events experienced during the operation were also forgotten while the medication was still in effect.
Introduction: For my research project I would like to explore the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant drugs are used are used to treat major depression and other conditions, some of which include anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, chronic pain and other disorders. Around the world antidepressants are used to cure these types of mental illnesses. It is argued by both medical professionals and other people whether or not they believe that antidepressants work. According to Mayo Clinic one in ten Americans take an antidepressant. Today, antidepressants have became the most common way around the world to treat major depression
Clozapine is used on a limited basis because of the risk of agranullocytosis, where white blood cells are destroyed faster than they are produced, causing the individual to be prone to other illnesses. Two other drugs, either one typical and one atypical, or two atypical medications are used and deemed ineffective before clozapine is used due to the this serious side effect, agranullocytosis. Even thought this risk happens to be small, 1% to 2%, the drug is normally viewed in the psychiatric field as a method of last resort.(Kentridge, 1995) The most common explanation for what occurs in the brain of a schizophrenic is the dopamine hypothesis, where certain areas of the brain have excessive activity at certain dopamine receptors.(Kalat, 2004) This theory will be a reoccurring theme when explaining how clozapine interacts with the body.
-Lieberman JA, Stroup TS, McEvoy JP, Swartz MS, Rosenheck RA, Perkins DO, Keefe RS, Davis SM, Davis CE, Lebowitz BD, Severe J, Hsiao JK. Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in patients with chronic schizophrenia. N Engl J Med. 2005. Web.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, it stated that the nicotine in smoking cigarettes can be very dangerous, damaging to the human body. It’s known that smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. In addition, smoking also causes cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. Smoking tobacco products is also known to contribute to cancer of cervix, pancreas and kidneys. People that don’t smoke tobacco products can also be harmed by second hand smoke. Women who smoke while pregnant, put their baby at risk of have health problems.
...ossible adverse interactions between an antidepressant medication and the substances a patient is abusing (such as the potential for increased sedation or intoxication).” (p 29).
Anti-anxiety drugs are another way of reducing stress levels. They counter hormones in the body that make you anxious. Barbiturates are another form of anti-anxiety drugs. They are depressants of the central nervous system and can be effective in reducing anxiety. However there are side effects with barbiturates these include lack of concentration or lack of coordination. Also anxious patients who stop taking barbiturates report numerous symptoms such as delirium, irritability and increased sweating.
Anticholinergic Deliriants or Belladonnoids, show the most promise as chemical compounds used to incapacitate. Belladonnoids cause delirium in casualties and blocks both the central and peripheral muscarinic effects of acetylcholine. BZ is the most common of the synthetic Belladonnaoids. BZ can create mild delirium, loss of attention and drowsiness at low doses. To full blown ambling around looking lost and shouting in higher doses. I describe this as Zombie like trance. Recovery can take 24hrs from onset of symptoms. However the onset of symptoms is relatively slow, making BZ ineffective for military use.
Therapy can mean many different things from relaxation therapy to group therapy or even seeing a psychologist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatment plans for patients dealing with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy deals with the patient’s problems, and helping them find different ways to cope with their situations. They help change negative thoughts into more supportive thoughts and answers. If a patient can realize what activates their anxiety they will be able to recognize when they need to talk to someone or even take their medications as prescribed. Promoting resilience is another way to help with patients cope with anxiety. “Resilience is the quality of being hardy or stress resistant.” (Karen M. Burke, 2011) Nurses or even family members can help older patients with anxiety by supporting their ADL’s, and that is encouraging resilience. The most common medications used to treat anxiety are benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics. Benzodiazepines have a rapid onset and help react to the central nervous system. The most common side effects of benzodiazepines are sedation, weakness, lethargy, dizziness, and a decreased in organization. The most common benzodiazepines prescribed are Xanax, klonopin, valium, and Ativan. Sedative-hypnotic agents have a more sedative effect on the mind and help treat insomnia. Side effects include sedation, drowsiness, and dizziness. Most
Wesson, Donald R. "Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed And Phenobarbital Treatment Of Sedative-Hypnotic Dependence: A Journey To The Haight Ashbury In The Sixties." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 2 (2011): 153. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
2)Strassman, R. Human Hallucinogenic Drug Research: Regulatory, Clinical and Scientific Issues. Brain Res. 162. 1990.
As most of you know, smoking is bad for your health, but what some of you might not know is that you don’t actually have to smoke to be harmed by smoking. Lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women, is mainly caused by cigarette smoking. Secondhand smoking causes approximately 2 percent of lung cancer deaths each year. It causes respiratory disease, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), middle ear disease, and asthma attacks in children.
Kales, A. (1972). The evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders : Pharmacological and psychological studies. In M. Chase (ed.)The Sleeping Brain. Los Angeles : Brain Information Service.
The altered states of consciousness produced by drugs presents an all-to-common phenomenon in today’s society. Whether the desired sensation comes in the form of energy, a means of relaxation, or pain reduction, many people go to great lengths and present their bodies to threatening conditions in order to achieve this euphoric “high.” Unfortunately, the use of these drugs very often comes with dangerous side effects that users must learn to manage with for the rest of their life. According to neuroscientists, our entire conscious existence bases itself off of the lighting-fast reactions occurring in our nervous system (Nichols, 2012). Therefore, changing these neurological reactions can permanently effect our conscious being (Blatter, 2012). The physical and neurological effects from the use and abuse of stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, organic solvents, and athletic performance enhancing drugs will be discussed in order to better comprehend why certain individuals expose themselves to such dangerous materials with seemingly no regard to the permanent consequences associated with such actions.
Scientists and health officials have been arguing the detrimental effects smoking has on our health for many years. Smoking can lead to serious complications including asthma, pancreas, lung and stomach cancer due to the large number of carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) and other various substances added to it. It is a health hazard for both smokers and non-smokers and it is especially harmful to unborn babies. Although smokers claim that it helps them to relax and release stress, the negative aspects of the habit take over the positive. As it has been stressed by the scientists and experts, there are some very severe reasons of smoking but its crucial consequences should also be taken into consideration.