Benzodiazepines: Overview and Clinical Applications

Vocabulary flashcards for review on benzodiazepines, their applications, and related concepts.

Benzodiazepines

A class of medications primarily used for treating anxiety, muscle relaxation, sedation, seizure control, and other conditions; commonly prescribed due to their safer profile compared to barbiturates.

Anxiolytics

Medications used to reduce anxiety.

CNS depressants

Substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system; benzodiazepines are a major class of CNS depressants.

Tolerance

A condition where gradually increasing doses of a drug are required to achieve the same effect.

Dependence

A state in which an organism functions normally only in the presence of a drug.

Flumazenil

A GABA antagonist used as an antidote in benzodiazepine overdoses, but used with caution due to seizure risks.

Prodrugs

Drugs that are administered in an inactive (or significantly less active) form and are metabolized into an active form.

Half-life

The time taken for the concentration of a drug in the body to reduce to half its initial value.

GABA-A receptors

The specific receptors that benzodiazepines target to exert their effects, leading to increased chloride ion flow and neuronal inhibition.

Drug Facilitated Crime (DFC)

Crimes where a psychoactive substance is used to incapacitate a victim, commonly involving the administration of benzodiazepines.

Active metabolites

Metabolites that have pharmacological effects and contribute to the overall efficacy and safety profile of a drug.

Flunitrazepam

A high-potency benzodiazepine, not approved for medical use in the U.S., known as ‘roofies’ and associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault.

Sedation

The process of calming or inducing sleep, often a primary effect of benzodiazepines.

Drug interactions

When the effects or actions of one drug are altered by the presence of another drug.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers in the brain that transmit signals across synapses; GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter affected by benzodiazepines.

Clinical Applications

The use of medications for therapeutic purposes based on their pharmacological properties and effects on health conditions.