Week 1- Part 2- Introduction to psychoactive drugs. Flashcards
What do psychoactive drugs produce?
Give some examples of psychological effects.
How does it do this?
Psychological effects.
E.g. changes in mood, perception, consciousness and behaviour.
By exerting effects on the brain- they alter biochemical processes in the brain.
Continuation from flashcard 1 about psychoactive drugs:
What does this influence?
What is neurotransmission?
What can drugs do?
Neurotransmission
The transmission of signals between neurons- like one synapse sends neurotransmitters molecules to the other which makes it more or less likely to fire.
Affect this process in many ways.
What is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the UK?
Is caffeine in many things like coffee, tea, energy drinks etc?
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylpurine-2,6-dione hydrate).
Yes.
Caffeine as a drug:
What can caffeine be considered?
What is an alkaloid?
What else is caffeine?
What happens with regular use of caffeine?
What is tolerance?
An alkaloid.
A group of plant derived molecules containing nitrogen- Get caffeine from coffee beans.
A stimulant- increases levels of arousal.
You become tolerant and dependent.
When you need more and more of the drug to get the same effect as you did initially.
Continuation from caffeine as a drug:
How can caffeine also be used?
How does it act?
Clinically (has therapeutic usage)- e.g. can treat migraines.
In various ways- most importantly by blocking types of adenosine receptor- Adenosine is a neuromodulator.
In this module, what should you not bother to learn?
What should you remember?
What else do you not need to know?
The chemical name + brand name (only of high profile ones) + street name.
The generic name + the class a drug belongs too.
The molecular structure- but know the similarities between the ones that are similar (this underpins why certain drugs have similar effects) + certain families of drugs have particular types of structure.
What are the different ways psychoactive drugs can be used?
Who makes the decision about which drugs should be legal or illegal, depending on the effect it has and the moral climate?
Have psychoactive drugs been used for thousands of years?
Instrumental (e.g. therapeutic, to cure something) or recreationally, and legal or illegal.
Society.
Yes.
Look at the table in the docs.
Modern psychotherapeutics:
When can it be traced back to?
Morphine?
Cocaine?
Early 19th century- various psychoactive substances- isolated from plants or synthesised from other sources.
Morphine- first synthesised in 1805- first used clinically in 1817- as an analgesic- it was isolated from opium.
Cocaine- first synthesised in 1855- first used clinically in 1860s- as an anaesthetic
Continuation from modern psychotherapeutics:
Bromides?
Chloral hydrate?
Bromides- first used clinically in 1826- as an anticonvulsant/sedative.
Chloral hydrate- first synthesised in 1832- first used clinically in 1869- as a sedative/hypnotic- not used anymore.
Continuation from modern psychotherapeutics:
What was heroin used as back in the day?
What was cocaine used as back in the day?
How did you treat a sore throat back in the day?
Cough medicine- stops you coughing- if you used too much, stops you breathing- was banned.
Stops toothache by making it numb- has a local anaesthetic function.
Mixture of heroin (diamorphine) + cocaine- cocaine for the anaesthetic effects- heroin so you don’t care about your sore throat anymore.
Modern psychotherapeutics:
When are these ones now?
Barbiturates?
MDMA?
LSD?
Early to mid 20th century.
Barbiturates- first clinical use in 1903- as an anxiolytics (relieve anxiety)/hypnotics (put you to sleep)- this drug does both- initially used to help people with insomnia but turned out to be dangerous.
MDMA- first synthesised in 1912- first clinical use in 1950s- as a stimulant/hallucinogen.
LSD- first synthesised in 1938- hallucinogen.
Continuation modern psychotherapeutics:
What are the following drugs used for?
Lithium?
Chlorpromazine?
Schizophrenia/depression:
Lithium- first clinical use in 1949- as a mood stabiliser.
Chlorpromazine- first clinical use in 1950- as an antipsychotic- first treatment for psychosis.
Continuation modern psychotherapeutics:
Amphetamine?
What was it first used as?
Back in the day who was it used on?
What does it lead to?
Amphetamine- first synthesized in 1887- first clinical use in 1930s- as a simulant.
Appetite suppressants + increased mood.
Back in the day- used on depressed housewives.
Tolerance, dependence and addiction + can have serious side effects- this is why it stopped being used.
Modern psychotherapeutics:
What happened later in the 20th century?
When was benzodiazepines first clinical use, what of and what does that do?
When was iproniazid’s first clinical use and what of?
Useful and safe psychotherapeutic drugs emerged.
1960- anxiolytics/hypnotics- Treats anxiety + helps people sleep.
1952- MAOI antidepressant.
Continuation with modern psychotherapeutics:
When was amitriptyline’s first clinical use and what of?
When was fluoxetine’s first clinical use and what of?
What position are we in now?
What also changed a lot and why?
1960- Tricyclic antidepressant.
1972- SSRI antidepressant.
Have drugs which can help people and are much safer than their predecessors.
Legal situation- things that used to be legal are no longer legal- more restrictions now.
