Drug Dependence Flashcards
Depressants
drugs that lower body’s basic functions and neural activity
Heart rate, reaction time etc
Popular one: alcohol
Think more slowly, disrupt REM sleep (and form memories), removes your inhibitions
Barbiturates
used to induce sleep or reduce anxiety, depress your CNS
Side effects: reduced memory, judgement and concentration, with alcohol can lead to death (most drugs w/ alcohol are bad)
Benzodiazepines
sleep aids or anti-anxiety
Enhances brain response to GABA, opens up GABA-activated chloride channels in neurons and make neurons more negatively charged
3 types: short, intermediate, and long-acting. Short and intermediate are usually for sleep, while long acting are for anxiety
Opiates
used to treat pain and anxiety. Ex: Heroine and morphine. NOT a depressant
Used to treat pain because they act at body’s receptor sites for endorphins
Different class than depressants even though overlapping for anxiety, rest act on GABA receptors while opiates act on endorphin Rs
Lead to euphoria, why taken recreationally
Stimulants
Range from caffeine to cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and ecstasy. In between is nicotine
Caffeine
inhibits adenosine receptors, can disrupt your sleep
Nicotine
disrupts sleep and can suppress appetite. Can cause muscles to relax and release stress-reducing neurotransmitters (to counteract hyper alertness), both physiologically addicting, withdrawing symptoms from both: like anxiety, insomnia, irritability
Cocaine
Stronger stimulant, releases dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine and depletes brain’s supply. Intense crash and very depressed when it wears off
Regular users experience suspicion, convulsions, respiratory arrest, and cardiac failure
Amphetamines and methamphetamines
trigger release of dopamine, euphoria 8 hours, highly addictive and long-term addicts may lose ability to maintain normal level of dopamine
Hallucinogens
cause hallucinations, altered perception
Ecstasy
synthetic drug stimulant and hallucinogen
Increases dopamine and serotonin and euphoria. Stimulates body’s NS and damages neurons that produce serotonin which moderates mood
Causes hallucinations and heightened sensations like artificial feeling of social connectedness
LSD
interferes with serotonin causes people to experience hallucinations (visual instead of auditory)
Marijuana
mild hallucinogen, THC which heightens sensitivity to sounds, tastes, smells
Like alcohol reduces inhibitions and impairs motor/coordination skills
Disrupts memory formation and short-term recall
Stays in body up to a week
Used as medicine to relieve pain and nausea
PTSD treatment
Allows people to access painful memories from past that’s detached from strong emotions- so they can come to terms with it
Homeostasis
maintain temperature, heartbeat, and metabolism
if you take amphetamines body quickly tries to lower heart rate and get back to normal
regular drug user, might take it same time of day
Cocaine addict brain recognizes external cues like room, needles, etc and knows its about to get big does of drug, brain tells body to get head start and lowers HR before you take drugs, why you need higher dose over time
What happens if you get those cues and don’t get drug–> CRASH
New location but take same level of drugs–> overdose
Routes of Drug Entry
Oral, injection, inhalation
Oral
ingesting something, one of slowest routes because goes through GI tract- half hour
Inhalation
breathing or smoking because once you inhale goes straight to brain- 10 seconds
Injection
most direct, intravenous means goes right to vein. Takes effects within seconds and can be very dangerous
Transdermal
drug is absorbed through skin, ex: nicotine path, drug patch has to be pretty potent and released into bloodstream over several hours
Intramuscular
stuck into muscle, can deliver drugs to your system slowly or quickly, quick for example is epipen or vaccines slowly, faster route of entry= more addictive potential
Dopamine
first experience pleasure, brain releases this NT
Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
dopamine produced here in the midbrain
VTA sends dopamine to
Amygdala, nucleus accumbens (controls motor functions), prefrontal cortex (focus attention and planning), and hippocampus (memory formation)
Mesolimbic pathway
nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus part of this
Ventral Tegmental Area
releases dopamine and receptors uptake dopamine- amygdala says this was enjoyable, hippocampus remembers and says lets do it again, and nucleus accumbens says lets take another bite. Prefrontal cortex focuses attention to it
Dopamine goes up and serotonin goes down, responsible for feelings of satiation, less likely to be satiated or content
increased genetic risk
Biological Basis
animal models, ex: rats and drug experiment, rats keep increasing dosage or if sick drug + favorite food= avoids it, addictive drug + fav food= wants more
addiction takes over rational mind
Tolerance
get used to a drug so you need more of it to achieve the same effect
Ex: took cocaine, lots of dopamine in synapse, post-synaptic neuron has receptors for dopamine
Long-term stimulation
can lead to brain shutting down some receptor- same amount of drugs won’t cause same high
Withdrawal
period of not having drug
things less strong as cocaine won’t give you as strong of an effect so dopamine levels decrease and you feel depressed, anxious
Will do whatever it takes to get that high
Once you’ve built up tolerance, need drug to feel “normal” again
With time and effort brain can reverse back
Drugs
alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioids (heroine/morphine), stimulants (cocaine), hallucinogens (LSD), inhalants, and caffeine
Intoxication
refers to behavioral and psychological effects on the person, drug-specific ex: “drunk” or “high”
Withdrawal
when you stop after using for a prolonged time
Substance-induced disorders
disorders of mood (mania/depression), anxiety, sleep, sexual function, psychosis (loss of contact with reality)
Substance use disorders
causes real degree of impairment in life, at work, school, or home
Treatment Opiates
heroine act at neural receptor site for endorphins to reduce pain and give euphoria, methadone activates opiate receptors but acts more slowly so it dampens the high, reduces cravings eases withdrawal and can’t experience the high because receptors are already filled
Treatment Stimulants
tobacco, medications replace nicotine by delivering low levels of nicotine through patch, or deliver chemicals that act on nicotine receptors in brain. prevents release or reuptake of dopamine helps reduce cravings
Treatment Alcoholics
meds block receptors in reward system of alcohol, also reduce symptoms of withdrawal, important to prevent relapse during this early stage by minimizing negative symptomsI
Inpatient treatment
require residence at hospital or treatment facility
Outpatient treatment
can live at home and come in for treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy
addresses both cognitive and behavioral components of addiction, recognize problematic situations and develop more positive thought patterns and coping strategies and monitor cravings - long-lasting!
Motivational interviewing
involves working with patient to find intrinsic motivation to change, very few sessions and can be doorway for patient to engage in another treatment
Group meetings
AA involve 12-step program- acceptance, surrender, and active involvement in meetings- helpful!
Relapse
patient can slip and go back, more addictive substances make relapse more likely, why it’s hard for people to stay clean
