Week 8- Toxicology!! & Street Drugs! Flashcards
What are the 2 main systems that the nervous system is made of?
Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord)
AND
Peripheral Nervous System
1. Somatic Nervous system: involuntary movements
2. Autonomic Nervous system: SNS and PNS!!!
What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?
fight or flight response, prepares the body for physical activity and it can also be stimulated by immune response
What is the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for?
for rest and digest, vegetative function!
Are the PNS and SNS both agonist or antagonists?
ANTAGONISTIC resulting in homeostasis
What are neurotransmitters?
the body’s chemical messengers
molecules used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons, or from neurons to muscles
What is the synaptic cleft?
where the magic happens (the space between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of another and is where the electrical signal translated to a chemical signal that can be perceived by the next neuron)
What is alpha 1 responsible for?
BLOOD pressure (vasoontricts)
What is beta 1 responsible for?
HEART RATE!! ( 1 heart)
elevated HR
What is beta 2 responsible for?
VASODILATION!!!! (decreased peripheral resistance)
bronchodilation!
What neurotransmitter is stimulated from a cholinergic toxicity?
occurs when too much acetylcholine is present in the receptor synapse leading to excessive parasympathetic effects
What is the primary neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system?
ACTEYLCHOLINE
What is the pneumonic for Cholinergic/ Anti-cholinesterase “Wet patient” ?
Salivation
Lacrimation
Urination
Diaphoresis
GI upset
Emesis
Diarrhea
Urination
Miosis
Bradycardia
Bronchoconstriciton
Excitation
Lacrimation
Lethargy
Salivation
What are anticholinergics?
they block the action of acetylcholine
What are the common anticholinergic drugs ?
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA’s) less common now
Antipsychotics (quetiapine)
Cold, Sleep medications (antihistamines)
Scopolamine
Gravol
Jimson Weed
Atropine
SYMPTOMS of anticholingerics toxicity??
mad as a hatter (altered LOA)
blind as a bat (mydriasis)
red as a beet ( flushed skin)
hot as a hare (dry skin)
dry as a bone (dry mucous membranes)
What do TCA toxicities look like in the pt?
hot
dry skin
tachycardia and
loss of bowel sounds
loss of Na channels
What channel do TCA’s block? and what does this result in?
blockade of sodium channels, slows the action potential within the cardiac muscle, and this causes the characteristics prolonged QT in TCA overdose
What does prolonged QT syndrome look like?
normally very wide QRS, causes lethal rhythms if left untreated
RAPID transport!!
What receptors for opioids have a large impact on?
chemoreceptors, which maintain our intrinsic drive to breath
Because opioid OD have a large impact on chemoreceptors, how will the pt present with opioid toxicitiy?
By making these chemoreceptors less sensitive, there is a increase in Pc02 leading due to hypoventilation; this causes a decreased LOA and possible death
What are sympathominmetics?
they mimic or enhance the actions of endogenous catecholamines of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)
Where do sympathomimetics directly effect?
directly activate adrenergic receptors or to indirectly activate them by increasing norepinephrine and epinephrine
What are sedatives-hypnotics?
affect your CNS (your brain and spinal cord) - have a relaxing calming effect
What are the three main groups of sedatives?
Benzodiazepines
Barbiturates.
Hypnotics (nonbenzodiazepines)
How do pts who overdose on sedatives present?
everything goes DOOOOOWN!!!
