Psychiatric Disease Flashcards
What are the general actions of CNS drugs?
Agonists/antagonists of neurotransmitter receptors
Inhibitors of regulatory enzymes
What are the key transmission/modulatory CNS pathways?
Noradrenaline Dopamine Serotonin GABA Acetylcholine Glutamate
What factors can affect psychiatric disorders?
Genetic vulnerability Life events Individual personality Coping skills/social support Environmental influences (viruses, toxins, drugs, health)
What are the secondary symptoms of depression?
Decreased appetite Sleep disturbance Hopelessness Poor concentration Irritability Self harm/suicidal ideas or acts Reduced libido May have psychotic symptoms
Why are monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) not often given? (MAOIs inhibit destruction of neurotransmitters)
Dietary restrictions (tyramine, found in a lot of foods), which if broken can manifest as severe hypertension with a risk of death.
What are the three theories of depression cause?
Monoamine hypothesis (deficit of serotonin/noradrenaline) Neurotransmitter receptor hypothesis (malformations of receptor shape for neurotransmission) Monoamine hypothesis of gene expression (deficiency in molecular functioning)
What are SSRIs used to treat?
Moderate to severe depression (first line)
Which SSRIs are given?
Fluoxetine
Citalopram (most selective)
Paroxetine (most potent)
Sertraline
Should SSRIs be given alone?
No - Psychiatric therapy in conjunction for max effectiveness (eg: CBT)
What are the pharmokinetic features of SSRIs?
Almost totally absorbed from the gut
Long elimination half-life lives (dose once daily)
Metabolised in liver
What are the side effects of SSRIs?
(common)
Anorexia, nausea, diarrhoea
(Rare)
Precipitation of mania, increased suicidal ideation, tremor, extrapyramidal syndromes
Reasonably safe in overdose if taken alone
What are TCAs?
Tricyclic antidepressants
(Not first line)
Amitriptyline, imipramine, clomipramine, lofepramine
What are the effects of TCAs?
Inhibition of noradrenaline uptake (↑ transmission)
Muscarinic cholinoceptor blockade (↓ transmission)
Alpha 1 adrenoreceptor blockade (suppresses transmission)
What are the pharmokinetics of TCAs?
As SSRIs
Lipid soluble
What are the side effects of TCAs?
Sedation, impairment of psychomotor performance, low seizure threshold
Reduction in glandular secretions, eye accomodation block
Tachycardia, postural hypertension, ↓myocardial contractility
Constipation
MORE dangerous in overdose
What are SNRIs?
Serotonin and noradrenaline uptake inhibitors
(Second/third line)
Eg: venlafaxine and duloxetine
Can be anxiolytic at high doses
What are the side effects of SNRIs?
As with SSRIs
Sleep disturbance, ↑BP, dry mouth, hyponatremia
Short half life, thus potential for withdrawal on discontinuation
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
Disturbance of thinking Hallucinations Delusions Unusual speech-thought disorder Behavioural changes Lack of insight
What is the dopamine theory of schizophrenia?
Excess dopaminergic pathway stimulation in schizophrenia
(Dopamine antagonists are best schizophrenia treatment, BUT other methods (eg amphetamine) only cause positive symptoms, not negative, and dopamine antagonists don’t treat negative symptoms)
What are the main dopaminergic pathways?
Mesolimbic ()
Mesocortical ()
Nigrostriatal
Tuberoinfundibular
What does the mesolimbic pathway handle?
Emotional response and behaviour
What does the mesocortical pathway handle?
Arousal and mood