P22: Anxiolytics Flashcards
What is anxiety?
An unpleasant state of emotional turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviours
What is existential anxiety?
- Feelings of angst and nihilism
- ‘Hating everything’
What is social anxiety?
Nervousness in social situations
What is somatic anxiety?
- Physical feelings (butterflies)
How long would a person need to experience symptoms of an anxiety disorder to be diagnosed with it?
More than 6 months
What cardiovascular conditions are associated with/aggravated by anxiety?
- Angina
- Arrhythmias
- Hypertension (high BP)
What gastrointestinal conditions are associated with/aggravated by anxiety?
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Peptic ulcers
What respiratory conditions are associated with/aggravated by anxiety?
Asthma
What endocrine conditions are associated with/aggravated by anxiety?
- Anaemia
- Hypoglycaemia
What neurological conditions are associated with/aggravated by anxiety?
- Migraine
- Tremor
- Seizures
What are the 5 main categories of specific phobias?
- Animal (dog)
- Natural environment (height)
- Blood/Injection
- Situational (dark)
- Other (noises)
What is generalised anxiety disorder?
What part of the brain is affected?
- Excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about daily events or activities
- Dysfunctional amygdala connectivity
What are the common causes of insomnia?
- Modern society (jet lag, shift work)
- Age (body clock)
- Grief (bereavement)
- Disease (dementia, alcoholism)
How can insomnia be treated?
- Can be treated with hypnotics (sleeping pills)
CAN CAUSE DEMENTIA OR ADDICTION
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Seeks to help patient develop coping strategies to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
How do barbiturates work?
Increase GABA signalling in the brain therefore suppressing brain activity
What is the major draw backs of barbiturates?
- Narrow therapeutic window - Strong dependence
withdrawal symptoms
What barbiturate is used as a hypnotic?
Hypnosis was done to you by Arjan, who is a medic who else do you know is a doctor?
Amobarbital
What barbiturate is used as an anaesthetic?
How many syllables in anaesthesia
Thiopental
What barbiturate is used in euthanasia?
How many syllables in euthanasia?
Pentobarbital
How do benzodiazepines work?
- Bind selectively to GABAA receptors
- Enhance Cl- conductance
Benzodiazepine action on α1 GABAA receptors causes what effects? (3)
- Sedative effects
- Anterograde amnesia (short-term)
- Anticonvulsant effects
Benzodiazepine action on α2 GABAA receptors causes what effects? (2)
- Reduction in anxiety
- Muscle relaxation
Which benzodiazepines treat anxiety disorders? (2)
Most common happy drug
An identical copy is also a?
- Diazepam
- Clonazepam (sustained)
Which benzodiazepines treat muscle spasms? (1)
Diazepam
Which benzodiazepines treat insomnia? (2)
- Temazepam (short)
- Diazepam (sustained)
Which benzodiazepines treat amnesia? (2)
- Lorazepam (sustained)
- Temazepam (short)
Which benzodiazepines treat epilepsy? (3)
- Clonazepam
- Lorazepam
- Diazepam
What are the side effects of benzodiazepines?
- Over-sedation, poor memory
- Ataxia, mental confusion
- Withdrawal syndrome
- Tolerance and addiction
What is Flumazenil?
- Benzodiazepine antagonist
- Binds to BZD binding site
- Reverse BDZ overdose
What is Buspirone?
- Anxiolytic that interacts solely with the CNS 5-HT pathways
- Reduces serotonergic cell firing
What is propranolol?
- β-Adrenoceptor antagonists
- Prevent excessive sympathetic activation
