ICL 9.5: Drug Altered Consciousness - Intoxication and Withdrawal Flashcards
what is the dopamine hypothesis?
what all addictive drugs have in common is their ability to release dopamine in the pleasure areas of the brain
behaviors can also release dopamine! like food, gambling and sex can get the same dopamine surges as chemicals and it makes it hard to quit the chemical addictions
if a person has a problem with one drug, they have a liability to become addicted to other drugs
what is consciousness?
the state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings
from coma and deep anesthesia to sleep to alert wakefulness
altered states of consciousness include hypnosis and meditative states, drug altered consciousness/awareness, and dissociative disorders
what is the path to addiction?
genetics: addiction starts with addiction; there is a genetic predisposition based on if you’re more or less sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol
social learning: when we grow up, is drug use part of the environment? are mom and dad and friends doing it?
choice/perscription: we chose at some point to use and some people don’t which starts the process
so somewhere along the line you get your first dose and if you’re not turned off, you may due to social learning and genetics, use more and more of the product
then you get into reinforcement. people are getting positive and/or negative reinforcement for drinking or smoking pot or heroine –> this causes us to develop classically conditioned responses
now you’re starting to have actually reward and memory changes in the brain via the nucleus accumbens and the dopamine pathway
you start to have negative consequences because the drugs are taking over your life and some people are able to moderate their use or even stop using; you have to overcome the conditioning but once you get through all that and rewire reward and memory changes, it’s much more about choice
however, people that have reward and memory changes which lead to altered pleasure, it becomes less about choice and more about disease because your brain has physically changed and that’s why addiction is an illness
what are the 4 classifications of abused substances?
- depressants
- opiods (classified as a depressant)
- stimulants
- hallucinogens
what are depressants?
drugs that reduce the central nervous system activity which include:
- sedatives/hypnotics (calming/sleep effects) Barbiturates, Ativan,
- anxiolytic (anxiety reducing effects) Benzodiazepines, Valium, Xanax
- alcohol is the most common and abused depressant
what are opioids?
a class of drug called Opiate analgesics; they are sometimes included with depressants; these drugs include:
- dilaudid
- demerol
- darvon
- percodan
- oxycontin
- morphine
- codeine
- heroin
what are stimulants?
drugs that activate the central nervous system, producing arousal, increased alertness and elevated mood
these range from the legal
caffeine and nicotine, to the abused ADHD medications (Ritalin, Adderall) and the illegal cocaine and amphetamines and cannabis
what are hallucinogens?
drugs that stimulate perceptions like time, visual, auditory, sensory sensations that are at odds with reality
- LSD
- PCP
- psilocybin
- cannabis
what kind of withdrawal symptoms does a drug cause?
in general, the withdrawal symptoms from a class of drugs is the opposite of the typical signs and symptoms and toxic effects of that drug
what are the typical signs and symptoms of depressants?
- pronounced effect on the CNS from being physically/emotionally calm and relaxed
- slurred speech (opioids is slow speech!)
- staggering gait
- altered perception
what are the toxic reactions that can happen from depressants?
- anesthesia, coma
- ↓ CNS, cardiac & respiratory process, can result in death
- ↓ temperature, reflexes & gut motility
what are the withdrawal symptoms from depressants?
- anxiety
- tremors
- seizures
- anorexia
- nausea
- weakness
- insomnia
- craving
- delirium
- tachycardia
these withdrawal symptoms are the opposite of the typical signs and symptoms of depressants!
what is delirium tremens?
profound confusion, misperceptions, disorientation, hallucinations, paranoid delusions caused by withdrawal from alcohol
the longer one has used alcohol, the greater risk they have of experiencing DTs especially with a sudden absence of alcohol
there is a high risk for DT’s in presence of withdrawal seizures
mortality is 10 - 15% if untreated, 1 -2% if treated
how do we treat depressant withdrawal?
- clonidine (not a 1st line treatment for alcohol)
- benzodizepines
- campral
- ReVia (naltrexone)
how are benzodiazepines used to treat depressant withdrawal?
used to treat the psychomotor agitation experienced during withdrawal
it also prevents progression from minor withdrawal symptoms to major ones
how is campral used to treat depressant withdrawal?
acamprosate inhibit the actions of excitatory neurotransmitters
it’s approved to reduce cravings for alcohol in individuals who are in a formal program for alcohol abuse recovery
it’s cost effective after the individual has already been abstinent from alcohol from several days to two weeks
does not address withdrawal symptoms; it’s for after detox or after someone has abstained from alcohol that adding this medication can help reduce the craving