Drugs from Nature & Addiction Flashcards
Schedule 1 Drugs
- High potential for abuse
- No medical uses
Alcohol (ethanol) is a
CNS Depressant, reduces neuron activity
3 Neurotransmitter Systems affected by Alcohol
GABA (excited)
GLUTAMATE (inhibited)
DOPAMINE (excited)
Alcohol is metabolized in a 2 step process in the liver…
by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)
- - The genetic variants of these 2 enzymes that cause fast or slow metabolism
Process of consuming alcohol
ethanol > acetaldehyde > acetate
Chronic effects of alcohol
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (amnesia and conative impairment)
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Endocrine effects (reduced production of testosterone and increased production of glucocorticoids)
- Fatty liver
Serotonergic Hallucinogens/ Entheogens
Drugs that directly activate serotonin receptors are cause large increases in synaptic serotonin are often hallucinogenic
Nicotine comes from
Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum)
Lethal nicotine dose
50 mg, 1 mg is approximately 1 cigarette
Nicotine is an agonist of …
the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
- Receptor allows sodium ions into neurons and it causes the neuron to fire (excitatory)
A lot of nicotine causes
an overactivation of the parasympathetic nervous system (causes nausea, vomiting)
Ego dissociation
separation from the body
SERITONIN SYNDROME
caused by excessive activation of serotonin receptors
Treatments to quit smoking
- nicotine replacement/ slow release patch
- Low dose bupropion (antidepressant)
- Varenicline
Mescaline comes from:
Peyote cactus- a natural hallucinogen
