Consciousness - Altering Drugs Flashcards
4 groups of Consciousness - Altering Drugs
depressants
stimulants
opiates
hallucinogens
Depressants
reduce nervous system activity
results in relaxation and reduced anxiety
common one: alcohol
Alcohol
increases activity of GABA receptor (GABA causes hyper polarization of the membrane)
increases Dopamine levels
Affects: logical reasoning and motor skills
-inability to recognize consequences of actions, creating short - sighted view of the world (called alcohol myopia)
Causes: fatigue
Barbiturates
anxiety reducing drug
sleep medication
often replaced with benzodiazepines (less prone to overdose)
increases GABA activity (causing a sense of relaxation)
highly addictive
alcohol + barbiturate = coma or death
Alcoholism
seen in the lower socioeconomic status (SES)
runs in the family
2 groups under the category of Depressants:
Alcohol
Barbiturates & Benzodiazepines
Wernicke - Korsakoff Syndrome
deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1)
severe impairment with changes in mental status and loss of motor skills
Stimulants
causes an increase in arousal in the nervous system
increases the frequency of action potentials
3 groups under the category of Stimulants:
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Ecstasy
Amphetamines
increases release of domaine, norepinephrine, serotonin (increasing arousal) while decreasing their reuptake
increase of arousal = decrease in appetite = decrease of sleep
increases heart rate, increases BP
can cause stroke or brain damage
Cocaine
decreases repute of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
has anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties
lead to heart attacks and strong
Crack: form of cocaine that can be smoked; quick effects; highly addictive
Ecstasy
also known as “E”
hallucinogen + amphetamine
club or rave pill
increases heart rate, increases BP, blurry vision, sweating
increases alertness
Opiates and Opioids
Opiates: morphine, codeine
Opioids: oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin
decreases reaction to pain
overdose can cause death
Heroin
Opioid
substitute for morphine
once inject, body metabolizes heroin to morphine
Hallucinogen
includes drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD)
interacts with serotonin
increases heart rate and BP, dilated pupils, sweating, increasing blood temperature