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 dissociatives (e.g. Salvia divinorum), 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.
