Psychopharmacology Flashcards
(50 cards)
what is psychopharmacology?
the interaction between psychoactive drugs and the body
what are psychoactive drugs able to do?
- alter neurotransmission
- affect mood or behaviour
- be effective in managing psychological problems
what can psychopharmacology explain?
how the brain works and the causes of different psychiatric disorders, in order to lead to better treatments
what is psychopharmacology helpful for?
dealing with problematic drug use, such as the concerns with health consequences and the controversy of drug use to aid psychiatric disorders
what is pharmacokinetics?
the study of how drugs are handled in the body
routes of administration
oral
rectal
intravenous
transdermal
inhalation
sublingual
benefits of oral admission
- convenient
- cheapest route
- easy to use
- safe and acceptable
limitations of oral admission
- less amount of drug reaches target tissue
- slow absorption must take place
- not preferred in emergency situations
- unpredictable amount
- might cause gastric irritation
benefits of rectal admission
- avoids nausea
- one of the only options if the patient is unconscious
- drug cannot be destroyed by enzymes in the body
limitations of rectal admission
- reduced surface area can limit absorption
- can cause irritation
- patients may refuse to take them
benefits of intravenous admission
- quick and precise effect
- preferred method for unconscious patients
- can control the amount of drug in blood circulation
- preferred for emergencies as the drug reaches blood stream immediately
limitations of intravenous admission
- requires skill to inject
- greater risk of injection
- risk of blood clots
- expensive
- can be painful or lead to inflammation
benefits of transdermal admission
- pain-free self-administration
- releases drugs into blood plasma at a slow and steady rate
- ease of use
- less frequent drug use
limitations of transdermal admission
- potential for allergic reaction to patch or adhesives
- tough barrier of skin
- unsuitable in emergency situations
- drug must be potent or else patches would be too large
benefits of inhalation admission
- fewer doses required
- can be used for unconscious patients
- local delivery to target area
- beneficial for asthmatic patients
- drug takes effect quickly via absorption
limitations of inhalation admission
- can lead to further breathing issues
- special apparatus required
- may irritate lungs with prolonged use
- expensive
benefits of sublingual admission
- dissolved easily
- spitting out the drug removes its effect
- drug enters the blood quickly through rapid absorption
- avoids drug disruption
- easy to monitor amount taken
- used during emergencies for a fast effect
limitations of sublingual admission
- drug may be accidentally swallowed
- inconvenient
- eating can inhibit absorption
how are drugs able to gain access to blood plasma?
by crossing cell membranes
what can the diffusion of drugs across the lipid membrane be affected by?
- lipid-soluble and small molecules diffuse best
- un-ionised drug molecules are more lipid-soluble
by circulating through the blood plasma, what are drugs able to gain access to?
tissue sites
what do drugs encounter at these tissue sites?
receptors that they have an affinity to
they bind to these receptors, which brings about the pharmacological response
what is the target site for psychoactive drugs?
typically the brain
how do side effects of psychoactive drugs occur?
the plasma is still able to reach other parts of the body, as receptors bind outside of the target site
