Depressants and Inhalants

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to depressants and inhalants from the lecture notes.

Psychoactive Drugs

Substances that affect the brain and alter mood, perception, and behavior.

Depressants

A class of drugs that decrease CNS activity and are also called sedative-hypnotics.

Benzodiazepines

A type of depressant that reduces anxiety and promotes sleep, with a larger safety margin than barbiturates.

Drug Scheduling

The classification of drugs in the US based on their potential for abuse and medicinal use.

Schedule I Drugs

Drugs with no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse, e.g., Heroin, LSD.

Schedule II Drugs

High potential for abuse with severe dependence, including Oxycodone and Cocaine.

Psychological dependence

A condition in which a person feels a compulsion to use a drug due to its euphoric effects.

Physical dependence

A state in which the body requires a drug to function normally and experiences withdrawal symptoms in its absence.

Acute Toxicity

Immediate adverse effects due to drug use, such as impaired judgment and respiratory depression.

Chronic Toxicity

Long-term harmful effects from repeated drug use, including psychological and physical dependence.

Inhalants

Substances that produce psychoactive effects when inhaled, found in household products.

Gaseous Anesthetics

Inhalants such as nitrous oxide that are used for anesthesia and produce feelings of euphoria.

Nonbenzodiazepine Hypnotics

A class of drugs, often referred to as 'Z-drugs,' that are used for sleep but may have withdrawal symptoms.

Psychoactive Drugs

Substances that affect the brain and alter mood, perception, and behavior.

Depressants

A class of drugs that decrease CNS activity and are also called sedative-hypnotics.

Benzodiazepines

A type of depressant that reduces anxiety and promotes sleep, with a larger safety margin than barbiturates.

Drug Scheduling

The classification of drugs in the US based on their potential for abuse and medicinal use.

Schedule I Drugs

Drugs with no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse, e.g., Heroin, LSD.

Schedule II Drugs

High potential for abuse with severe dependence, including Oxycodone and Cocaine.

Psychological dependence

A condition in which a person feels a compulsion to use a drug due to its euphoric effects.

Physical dependence

A state in which the body requires a drug to function normally and experiences withdrawal symptoms in its absence.

Acute Toxicity

Immediate adverse effects due to drug use, such as impaired judgment and respiratory depression.

Chronic Toxicity

Long-term harmful effects from repeated drug use, including psychological and physical dependence.

Inhalants

Substances that produce psychoactive effects when inhaled, found in household products.

Gaseous Anesthetics

Inhalants such as nitrous oxide that are used for anesthesia and produce feelings of euphoria.

Nonbenzodiazepine Hypnotics

A class of drugs, often referred to as 'Z-drugs,' that are used for sleep but may have withdrawal symptoms.

Depressant Mechanism of Action

Depressants, including barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, primarily enhance the inhibitory effects of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in the brain. They bind to specific sites on the GABA-A receptor, increasing chloride ion influx into neurons, which hyperpolarizes the cell and decreases neuronal excitability, leading to reduced CNS activity.

Barbiturates: Forms, Uses, and Concerns

A class of depressants with a narrow safety margin and high potential for dependence.1. Forms: * Short-acting: Rapid onset, short duration (e.g., Pentobarbital, Secobarbital). * Intermediate-acting: Moderate onset, moderate duration (e.g., Amobarbital). * Long-acting: Slow onset, long duration (e.g., Phenobarbital).2. Medical Uses: Historically used for anxiety, insomnia, anesthesia, and seizure control.3. Concerns: High risk of overdose, severe physical and psychological dependence, dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

Benzodiazepines: Forms, Uses, and Concerns

Depressants with a wider safety margin than barbiturates, commonly used for anxiety and sleep.1. Forms: * Short-acting: Rapid onset, short duration (e.g., Midazolam). * Intermediate-acting: Moderate onset, moderate duration (e.g., Lorazepam, Alprazolam). * Long-acting: Slow onset, long duration (e.g., Diazepam, Clonazepam).2. Medical Uses: Anxiety disorders, insomnia, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal, seizure control.3. Concerns: Psychological and physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms, sedation, cognitive impairment, respiratory depression (especially when combined with other depressants).

Non-Benzodiazepine Hypnotics: Uses and Concerns

Drugs like Zolpidem (Ambien), Zaleplon (Sonata), and Eszopiclone (Lunesta) specifically developed for insomnia.1. Medical Uses: Primarily for the short-term treatment of insomnia.2. Concerns: Potential for dependence, dose-related withdrawal symptoms, side effects such as sleep-driving, sleepwalking, and amnesia.

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid)

A central nervous system depressant naturally found in the brain and also produced synthetically.1. Medical Uses: Approved for the treatment of narcolepsy (e.g., Xyrem) and cataplexy.2. Concerns: High potential for abuse, severe withdrawal symptoms, often associated with recreational use and as a "date rape" drug due to its sedative and amnesic effects; respiratory depression and coma in overdose.

Inhalants: Effects on Brain and Health

Volatile substances that produce psychoactive effects when inhaled.1. Effects on Brain: Rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and CNS, causing immediate CNS depression by altering neurotransmitter activity (including GABA, dopamine, glutamate). Can lead to euphoria, dizziness, impaired coordination, slurred speech, and hallucinations.2. Health Concerns: * Acute: "Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome" (SSDS) due to cardiac arrest, asphyxiation, aspiration, or injury. * Chronic: Damage to brain (neurological impairments, cognitive deficits), liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and bone marrow.

Barbiturates

A class of depressant drugs that cause generalized depression of the CNS, historically used as sedatives and hypnotics, but with a narrow safety margin and high potential for dependence.

Schedule III Drugs

Drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, such as anabolic steroids, Tylenol with Codeine.

Schedule IV Drugs

Drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence, e.g., Xanax, Valium.

Schedule V Drugs

Drugs with the lowest potential for abuse, often containing limited quantities of certain narcotics, e.g., cough medicines with codeine.