Drug Abuse Flashcards
What are the 3 drug classes of concern for abusive potential?
opioids
anxiolytic/sedative/hypnotics
CNS stimulants
What is the abusive goal with opioids?
they produce a state in which the user is indifferent to the environment
What is the abusive goal with the anxiolytic/sedative/hypnotics? (barbs and benzos)
disinhibition euphoria
What is the abusive goal with the stimulants?
to increase wakefulness, attentiveness and athletic performance
What are the two aspects of tolerance?
- decreased effect of drug with repeat administration
2. increasing doses needed to produce an effect
What are the two aspects of drug dependence? How are they different?
psychological - the abuser things the presence of the drug is necessary to maintain state of well being (habit)
physical - the drug has induced a physiological change in the abuser such that discontinuation of the drug will produce a characteristic withdrawal or abstinence syndrome
What are psychoactive drugs? Are they all addictive?
They ard drugs that alter behavior. They are NOT all addictive. They only have abuse potential if they alter state of consciousness in a pleasurable way - no way do antidepressants do that.
What is DISPOSITIONAL TOLERANCE?
repeated administration of barbiturates accelerates the drug metabolic enzymes resulting in lower plasma concentrations after subsequent doses
What is CELLULAR TOLERANCE?
cellular tolerance is when the presence of the drug in the cellular environment alters the cell such that they become less responsive to the same amount of (or more) of the drug
What is CROSS TOLERANCE?
When one tolerance developes to one drug in a particular class, tolerance is also observed to other drugs of the same class
In terms of withdrawal, what is cross dependence?
the symptoms of withdrawal can be alleviated or prevented by any other drug in the same class
WHat characterizes addiction beyond just dependence?
when the drug becomes a cardinal rather than incidental part of life - you expend life resources to obtain and use a desired chemical
How are misuse and abuse different?
misuse is when the drug is improperly used wihtin the context of medical treatment
abuse is when you use the drug for psychic effect beyond what it was prescribed for - so non-medial use
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 drug abuse?
type 1: patient has a history of abuse already
type 2: patient who starts taking the drug for a legitimate resons becomes addicted as a consequence
Does type 2 addiction occur as often as people think?
no - not if the patient is taking the drug as prescribed. so don’t rush to conclusions
