PSYCHOTROPICS
PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS
- A psychotropic drug is a chemical substance that changes nervous system function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior.
- Substances may be used medically to improve performance or alter one's consciousness.
- Some psychoactive substances may be used in the detoxification and rehabilitation programs for persons dependent on or addicted to other psychotropic drugs.
- Psychoactive substances often bring about subjective changes in consciousness and mood that the user may find rewarding and pleasant advantageous in an objectively observable or measurable way .
- In addition, sustained use of some substances may produce physical or psychological dependence or both, associated with somatic or psychological-emotional withdrawal states respectively.
- Drug rehabilitation attempts to reduce addiction, through a combination of psychotherapy, support groups, and other psychoactive substances.
- Certain psychoactive drugs may be so unpleasant that the person will never use the substance again. This is especially true of certain deliriants (e.g. Jimson weed), powerful dissociative , and classic psychedelics (e.g. LSD, psilocybin), in the form of a "bad trip".
- SSRIs have demonstrated efficacy in depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), premenstrual dysphoric disorder, migraine (prophylaxis), and other conditions
- Antipsychotics such as aripiprazole are effective in schizophrenia, in mania,
- Quetiapine and lurasidone are specifically effective as monotherapy for bipolar depression, and quetiapine is effective as monotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder
- Valproate are effective in epilepsy, bipolar disorder, pain syndromes, migraine prophylaxis, aggression, anxiety, tardive movement disorders.
- The pharmacological domains are based on neurotransmitter or molecular action. There are 11 domains: Acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA, glutamate, histamine, ion channel, lithium-mimetic, melatonin, norepinephrine, opioid, and serotonin.
- Hydroxyzine is listed as a histamine receptor antagonist.
- Pregabalin and gabapentin are glutamate voltage-gated calcium channel blockers.
- Buspirone is a 5HT1a receptor partial agonist; and benzodiazepines and barbiturates are GABA-PAM drugs.