Psychopharmacology Flashcards
What are the 4 types of psycho treatment?
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Chemical
- Drugs/medicines (+ Immunotherapy)
- Electrical Stimulation
-
Structural rearrangement
- Surgery & orthopaedics
- Talking therapies
What are the ways used to classify drugs?
- Based on chemical structure
- Based on what illnesses they treat
- Based on their pharmacology
What are the pros of classifying drugs based on what illness they treat?
- Easy for Drs to choose a drug as docs make diagnosis
What are the cons of classifying drugs based on what illness they treat (2)?
- Many psychiatric medicines work in several disorders
- Most psychiatric disorders have multiple symptoms and a single medicine might not treat them all
What are the chemical targets of psychomedication (4)?
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Receptors
- Agonists or antagonists
-
Neurotransmitter reuptake sites
- Most neurotransmitters are recovered and recycled via reuptake sites
- Many psychiatric drugs block these reuptake sites so increase neurotransmitter concentration in the synapse to enhance post-synaptic receptor activity
- Some switch the reuptake site direction to enhance release
-
Ion channels
- Some drugs block channels so reduce neuronal excitability
-
Enzymes
- Usually they block enzyme activity
Which are the fast acting neurotransmitters (excitatory & inhibiting)?
Responsible for content of memory, movement, vision etc.
Excitatory: Glutamate
Inhibitory: GABA
Which are the slow acting neurotransmitters (5)?
Responsible for emotions, drives, valence of memory etc.
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Noradrenaline
- Acetylcholine
- Endorphins and other peptides
What is the impact of excess glutamate (2)?
- Epilepsy
- Alcoholism
How is epilepsy by excess glutamate get treated?
Perampanel
How is alcoholism by excess glutamate get treated?
- Acamprosate
- Ketamine
What is the impact of GABA deficiency?
Anxiety
How is anxiety from GABA deficiency treated?
Benzodiazepines
What is the impact of serotonin deficiency (2)?
- Depression
- Anxiety
How is depression and anxiety caused by serotonin deficiency treated?
- Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs)
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
What is the impact of excess dopamine?
Psychosis
How is psychosis caused by excess dopamine treated?
Dopamine receptor blockers
What is the impact of excess noradrenaline?
Nightmares
How are nightmares from excess noradrenaline treated?
Prazosin
What is the impact of acetylcholine deficiency?
Impaired memory / Dementia
How is impaired memory / dementia caused by acetylcholine deficiency treated?
Acetylcholine esterase enzyme blockers
What effect may a medication have on a chemical target (4)?
- Full antagonists - block a chemical target
- Partial agonists - lower max efficacy than full agonists
- Full agonists - activate a chemical target
- Inverse agonist - activate a chemical target on an opposite direction
What effect does an increased selectivity have?
Less adverse effects caused due to higher selectivity
What effect does a decreased selectivity have?
Lots of adverse effects due to off-target effects
