Psychopharmacology and Psychiatric Treatments Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering psychopharmacology, drug classifications, mechanisms of action, and specific psychiatric treatments like ECT based on lecture notes.

Psychopharmacology

The study of drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders, which brought psychiatric treatment into the territory of scientific medicine over the last five and a half decades.

Chlorpromazine

Introduced in 1952, this was the earliest antipsychotic drug that revolutionized the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Neuroleptics

Another name for antipsychotic drugs, also referred to as major tranquilizers, used for acute and chronic psychosis, manic phase of Bipolar I, and paranoid disorders.

Typical Antipsychotics

First-generation antipsychotic drugs that mainly block $D_2$ receptors and are more likely to cause extrapyramidal motor control disabilities.

Atypical Antipsychotics

New generation antipsychotics that block $D_1, D_2, D_4$, and $5-HT_2$ receptors; they are less likely to cause extrapyramidal side effects and can treat negative symptoms.

Mesolimbic Pathway

A dopamine pathway from the VTA to the Nucleus Accumbens associated with positive symptoms of psychosis.

Mesocortical Pathway

A dopamine pathway from the VTA to the Cerebral Cortex associated with negative symptoms of psychosis.

Nigrostriatal Pathway

A dopamine pathway from the Substantia Nigra to the Dorsal Striatum associated with Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS).

Tuberoinfundibular Pathway

A dopamine pathway from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland where dopamine relates inversely to prolactin; blockage can cause galactorrhea and amenorrhea.

Positive Symptoms

Psychiatric symptoms including hallucinations, illusions, delusions, excitement, and suspiciousness.

Negative Symptoms

Psychiatric symptoms including attention deficit, asocial behavior, blunted affect, communication difficulties, and difficulty with abstraction.

Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPSE)

Neurological side effects of antipsychotics including akathisia, acute dystonia, pseudoparkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia.

Akathisia

The most common EPSE, characterized by an inability to sit still, restlessness, and jitteriness.

Acute Dystonic Reactions

Early-onset muscle rigidity of the face, neck, or back, often including torticollis and oculogyric crisis.

Oculogyric Crisis

A dystonic reaction characterized by the rolling of eyes backward in a fixed stare.

Tardive Dyskinesia (TD)

A potential permanent complication of long-term neuroleptic use involving involuntary jerky movements, particularly of the mouth, face, and tongue; caused by dopamine hypersensitivity.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)

A rare but life-threatening reaction to neuroleptics characterized by the cardinal symptom of hyperthermia, along with rigidity and cardiac arrhythmias.

Anticholinergic Effects

Side effects occurring across various psychiatric medications, summarized as urinary retention, blurred vision, constipation, dry mouth, and tachycardia.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA)

A class of antidepressants including Imipramine and Amitriptyline that blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)

The first-choice drug class for treating depression, which inhibits serotonin reuptake with a therapeutic lag time of $1-4$ weeks.

Serotonin Syndrome

A dangerous condition resulting from mixing SSRIs with MAOIs, characterized by coma, hyperreflexia, hyperthermia, and potentially death.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI)

Antidepressants that inhibit the breakdown of amines but require a tyramine-restricted diet to avoid hypertensive crisis.

Hypertensive Crisis

A severe MAOI side effect caused by ingesting tyramine, characterized by occipital headache, palpitations, and elevated blood pressure.

Lithium

A mood stabilizer used for the manic phase of bipolar disorder with a therapeutic blood level range of $0.6-1.2\,mEq/L$.

Lithium Toxicity

Toxic state occurring when lithium levels exceed $1.5\,mEq/L$; early signs include vomiting, diarrhea, and muscular weakness.

Carbamazepine (Tegretol)

An anticonvulsant used for bipolar patients who do not respond to or cannot take Lithium.

Benzodiazepines

A major class of anxiolytics or minor tranquilizers, such as Diazepam and Lorazepam, used for anxiety, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal.

Tolerance

The pharmacological need to increase the amount of a substance to achieve the same effect previously reached with a smaller dose.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A treatment that passes an electrical current of $70-150\,V$ through the brain to induce a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, used for severe depression and mania.

Atropine Sulfate (AtSO4)

A pre-operative medication used before ECT to decrease oral and nasal secretions.