ch. 7 Flashcards
what are example of depressants
alcohol, chloral hydrate, paraldehyde, bromides, methaqualone, barbituates
(mood lowering)
what do the depressants drugs produce
they produce sedation, drowsiness, and sleep at low doses
Depressants are what type of agonists
GABA
What drug had the Mickey Finn of the spy novels
Chloral Hydrate
for Chloral Hydrate there were as many addicts in the 1800’s as alcoholics
Chloral Hydrate had severe gastric irritation but little respiratory depression
Chloral Hydrate was used as a sleep preparation/mostly used recreationally and is pretty safe can’t overdose (caused nausea)
Paraldehyde
Has a wide safety margin - big dose can’t kill
Wasn’t used much due to the smell
Bromides was used for what
Used as OTC sleep preparations until the 1970’s
why is using Bromides for sleep preparation a bad idea?
they hav a long half life, you get a build up when used every night, narrow safety margin so overdose was a real danger
what are the terrible side effects of bromides:
dermetitis, constipation, motor disturbances (“hemibalisms”) psychosis and death at higher doses
when you use bromides every night you get a build-up
what drug had a narrow safety margin so overdose was a real danger
bromides
Barbiturates are what?
GABA agonists, have a very dangerous withdrawal, good anticonvulsants, and tolerance over a long period of time.
Barbituates synergies
- using barbituates to sleep and then amphetamines to stay aroused during the day (cause cardiac stress and pulmonary function)
