C1: Biological approach: Drug Therapy AO1 Flashcards
What do antipsychotic drugs do?
Antipsychotic drugs treat psychotic mental disorders such as schizophrenia
What often happens to a patient with a psychotic disorder?
They lose touch with reality and has little insight into their condition
What are conventional antipsychotic drugs used for?
Used primarily to combat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, for example delusions, and hallucinations.
How do conventional antipsychotic drugs stop the symptoms?
They block the action of dopamine in the brain by binding to, but not stimulating, dopamine receptors.
How do atypical antipsychotic drugs work?
Act by only temporarily occupying dopamine receptors, and then rapidly dissociating to allow normal dopamine transmission.
Give an example of an atypical antipsychotic drug
Clozaril
Atypical antipsychotic drugs have less side effects than conventional antipsychotic drugs because they only temporarily occupy dopamine receptors. What kind of side effects can they have?
Involuntary movement of the mouth and tongue, much milder side effects compared to conventional antipsychotics.
What two types of antipsychotic drugs are there?
Conventional and atypical
What two types of anti-anxiety drugs are used to treat anxiety?
Beta-blockers and benzodiazepines
How do benzodiazepines work? (anti-anxiety drug)
They slow down the activity of the central nervous system, they do this by enhancing the activity of GABA, that is the body’s natural form of anxiety relief.
What is GABA?
a biochemical or neurotransmitter, which is the body’s natural form of anxiety relief
How do beta-blockers work? (anti-anxiety drugs)
They reduce the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are parts of the response to stress. BBs bind to receptors on the cells of the heart and other parts that are stimulated during sympathetic arousal.
What is a result of the beta-blockers binding to the cells of the heart and other stimulated areas?
By blocking these receptors, it is harder to stimulate cells in this part of the body, so heartrate is decreased and blood vessels don’t contract so easily. This results in a lower blood pressure and therefore less stress on the heart.
The person is less anxious as a result of this.
Most common antidepressant to be prescribed?
SSRI’S (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) eg Prozac.
What does SSRI stand for?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
How do SSRI’s work?
Blocking the transporter mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin into the presynaptic cell after it has fired. So, more of the serotonin is left in the synapse, prolonging its activity and making transmission of the next impulse easier.
In what two ways can antidepressants work to make an individual feel less depressed?
They work by either:
- Reducing the rate of reabsorption of serotonin
- Blocking the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitters.
What is depression thought to be in terms of neurotransmitters?
Its thought to occur due to insufficient amounts of neurotransmitters such as serotonin being produced in the nerve endings (synapse).
What happens in normal brains with neurotransmitters(serotonin)?
neurotransmitters are constantly being released and reabsorbed into the nerve endings, stimulating the neighbouring neurons.
What two types of anti-anxiety drugs are used to treat anxiety?
Beta-blockers and benzodiazepines (treat stress also)
