Drugs {depressant}| can reduce nervous-system activity and increase learning extinction. Depressants cause relaxed feeling, inhibition loss, inebriation, sleep, and feeling that time is slower. Depressants include alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, catecholamine affectors, and Solanaceae drugs.
Ethyl-alcohol depressant {alcohol, drug} can cause physical and psychological dependence. Alcohol dehydrogenases break down alcohol, but many Australian and North American natives cannot increase dehydrogenases. Alcohol binds to GABA receptor different from barbiturate receptor and keeps channel open longer.
Intravenous sedatives and depressants [1930 to 1940] {barbiturate}| bind to gamma-aminobutyric-acid (GABA) receptors and keep chloride channels open longer. Barbiturates can cause physical and psychological dependence. Barbiturates are for insomnia. They include barbital (Veronal), phenobarbital (Luminal), and thiopental (Pentothal) or sodium amytal.
Drugs {benzodiazepine} {sleeping pill} can be sedatives and depressants [1930 to 1940]. Benzodiazepines include Valium, Mogadon, diazepam, Dalmane, and midazolam.
biology
Benzodiazepines link to GABA receptors to increase gamma-aminobutyric-acid (GABA) affinity for GABA neuroreceptors and enhance GABA-mediated synaptic potentials. Benzodiazepines can induce sleep by blocking reticular-activating-system activation.
dependence
Benzodiazepines are generally safe and effective, but prolonged use leads to dependence. Withdrawal causes anxiety, nightmares, and poor sleep for one week.
effects
Most mildly neurotic patients receive benzodiazepine tranquilizers. They reduce anxiety for several weeks but diminish in effectiveness over months. People often misuse them.
Drugs {imidazopyridine} can be like benzodiazepines but act on GABA-receptor parts.
Drugs {monoamine depressant} can deplete brain-messenger monoamines and induce depression. Drugs can raise monoamine level and relieve depression, but cause mania.
Drugs {catecholamine agonist} can compete for catecholamine receptor.
Drugs {catecholamine antagonist} can compete for catecholamine receptor but have no metabolic effect.
Drugs {bretylium} can block catecholamine release. They have highly basic centers linked by one-carbon or two-carbon chains to rings.
Drugs {desipramine} can inhibit catecholamine uptake.
Drugs {guanethidine} can block catecholamine release. They have highly basic centers linked by one-carbon or two-carbon chains to rings.
A drug family {Solanaceae} includes nightshade or belladonna, mandrake, jimson weed, henbane, scopolamine, and sodium amytal {truth serum}.
Hemlock has alkaloid {coniine}.
Solanaceae datura {jimson weed} has tropane alkaloids like atropine.
Solanaceae-family drugs {mandrake root} can contain scopolamine and atropine.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225