Tranquilizers or tranquilizers are substances that induce sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are central nervous depressants and interact with brain activity that causes a slowdown. Different types of sedatives can be distinguished, but most of them affect the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter, which is a brain chemical that communicates between brain cells. Despite the fact that each tranquilizer acts in its own way, they produce a beneficial relaxation effect by increasing GABA activity.
At higher doses can cause slurred speech, a surprising walk, poor judgment, and a slow and uncertain reflex. Tranquilizers doses such as benzodiazepines, when used as hypnotics to induce sleep, tend to be higher than the amounts used to reduce anxiety, whereas only low doses are required to provide a peaceful effect.
Sedatives can be misused to produce overly soothing effects (alcohol becomes the most common and classical sedative). In the event of an overdose or when combined with other sedatives, many of these drugs can cause unconsciousness (see hypnosis) and even death.
Video Sedative
Terminology
There are some overlap between the term "tranquil" and "hypnotic".
Advances in pharmacology have enabled the targeting of more specific receptors, and greater agent selectivity, requiring greater precision when describing these agents and their effects:
- Anxiolytic refers specifically to the effects on anxiety. (However, some benzodiazepines can be all three: sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic).
- Tranquilizer can refer to anxiolytics or antipsychotics.
- Soporific and sleeping pills are close-synonymous to hypnotics.
The term "chemical cosh"
The term "chemical cosh" (club) is sometimes used popularly for strong tranquilizers, especially for:
- wide dispensation of antipsychotic drugs in home care to make people with dementia more manageable.
- the use of ritalin to calm children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although paradoxically this drug is known as a stimulant.
- See also Antipsychotic controversy
Types of sedatives
Maps Sedative
Therapeutic use
Doctors often provide tranquilizers to patients to reduce the anxiety of patients associated with painful procedures or cause anxiety. Although tranquilizers do not relieve pain in themselves, they can be useful additives for analgesics in preparing patients for surgery, and are usually given to patients before they are anesthetized, or before other highly uncomfortable and invasive procedures such as cardiac catheterization, colonoscopy or MRI. They increase the tractability and compliance of troublesome or demanding children or patients.
Risk
Sedative dependency
Some sedatives can cause psychological and physical dependence when taken regularly for a period of time, even at therapeutic doses. Dependent users can get withdrawal symptoms from anxiety and insomnia to convulsions and deaths. When users become psychologically dependent, they feel as if they need medication to function, although physical dependence does not always occur, especially with short-term use. In both types of dependence, finding and using tranquilizers becomes the focus of life. Physical and psychological dependence can be treated with therapy.
Abuse
Many sedatives can be abused, but barbiturates and benzodiazepines are responsible for most problems with the use of tranquilizers due to widespread recreational or non-medical use. People who have difficulty coping with stress, anxiety or sleeplessness can overuse or become dependent on tranquilizers. Some heroin users can take them either for their drug supplements or to replace them. Users of stimulants can take tranquilizers to soothe excessive anxiety. Others take recreational tranquilizers to relax and forget their worries. Overdose of barbiturates is a factor in nearly one-third of all reported drug-related deaths. These include suicide and accidental drug intoxication. Unintentional deaths sometimes occur when a drowsy and confused user repeats a dose, or when a sedative is taken with alcohol.
A study from the United States found that in 2011, sedative and hypnotic drugs were the main source of adverse drug side effects (ADE) seen in hospital settings: About 2.8% of all ADEs were present at admission and 4, 4% of ADEs originating during hospital stay are caused by sedatives or hypnosis. The second study noted that a total of 70,982 sedative effects were reported to the US poison control center in 1998, of which 2310 (3.2%) produced major toxicity and 89 (0.1%) resulted in death. About half of all people treated in the US emergency room because of the use of non-medical sedatives have a legitimate prescription for the drug, but have used excessive doses or combined with alcohol or other drugs.
There is also a serious paradoxical reaction that may occur simultaneously with the use of sedatives that lead to unexpected outcomes in some individuals. Malcolm Lader at the Institute of Psychiatry in London estimates the incidence of this adverse reaction by about 5%, even in the short-term use of drugs. Paradoxical reactions may consist of depression, with or without suicidal tendencies, phobias, aggressiveness, violent behavior and symptoms that are sometimes misdiagnosed as psychosis.
The danger of combining tranquilizers and alcohol
Tranquilizers and alcohols are sometimes combined in a recreational or reckless manner. Because alcohol is a strong depressant that slows brain function and suppresses respiration, the two substances interact with each other and this combination can be fatal.
Deterioration of Psychiatric Symptoms
Long-term use of benzodiazepines may have similar effects on the brain as alcohol, and is also involved in depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mania, psychosis, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, delirium, and neurocognitive impairment (including ongoing dementia induced benzodiazepine that persists even after the drug is stopped). Like alcohol, the effects of benzodiazepines on neurochemistry, such as decreased levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, are believed to be responsible for their effects on mood and anxiety. In addition, benzodiazepines indirectly can cause or worsen other psychiatric symptoms (eg, mood, anxiety, psychosis, irritability) by worsening sleep (ie, sleep disorders caused by benzodiazepines). Like alcohol, benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat insomnia in the short term (both prescribed and self-medication), but worsen sleep in the long run. While benzodiazepines can make people fall asleep, but when they fall asleep, drugs interfere with sleep architecture: reduce sleep time, delay REM sleep time, and reduce deep slow wave sleep (the most restored part of sleep for energy and mood).
Amnesia
Sedatives can sometimes leave patients with long-term or short-term amnesia. Lorazepam is one of the pharmacological agents that can cause anterograde amnesia. Intensive care unit patients who receive high doses for longer periods, usually through IV infusions, are more likely to experience these side effects.
Disinhibition and crime
Sedatives - most commonly alcohol but also GHB, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and to a lesser extent, temazepam (Restoril), and midazolam (Versed) - have been reported for use as date rape drugs (also called Mickey) and administrated to non suspicious in the bar or guests at the party to reduce the intended victim's defenses. These drugs are also used to rob people.
The statistical picture shows that the use of a soothing drink to rob people is actually much more common than its use for rape. Cases of criminals who take Rohypnol themselves before they commit crimes have also been reported, because the loss of inhibition of drugs can increase their confidence to commit offenses, and drug-generated amnesia makes it difficult for police to interrogate them if they are caught.
See also
- Hypnotic
- Antidepressants
- Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome
- Tranquilizer
- Weapon
- Diphenhydramine citrate
References
Further reading
- Tone, Andrea. The Age of Anxiety: A History of America's Turbulent Affair with Tranquilizers (Basic Books, 2009) 288 pp.; ISBNÃ, 978-0-465-08658-0 quotes and text search
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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