Lecture 11Outline of Last Lecture I. Depressantsa. Sedative Hypnotics i. Barbiturates/ Benzodiazepines Outline of Current Lecture II. Depressantsa. Sedative Hypnotics i. BenzodiazepinesIII. Cocainea. Basic Pharmacologyb. Mechanismc. Absorption and Eliminationd. Beneficial use local Anesthesiae. Cause for Concerni. Acute Toxicityii. Chronic Toxicityf. Dependenceg. Reproductive Effectsh. Cocaine TreatmentCurrent LectureFrom last lecture we end with talking about antianxiety medication, a new form of drug that has been used since today are called benzodiazepines. The main advantage of benzodiazepines was the treatment of anxiety caused by the tranquilizing effects instead of the sedative effects of the body. Benzodiazepines containsvarious kinds of drug, some that we know are Valium (diazepam) and Librium (chloediazepoxide), and they were the first of many who introduce in the Unites States. These two types of drugs are chemically related, buthave different effects and time of the effects. For example, Valium is five to ten times stronger than Librium and takes a faster time effects. Since the drugs contain different effects and potencies, medical professional administer or prescribe the patient the best choice of these two drugs. For a long lasting effect it is better to take it orally, this way of ingestion is mainly for the treatment of anxiety. By injecting the drug the effects are quicker and are mainly used in extreme case like treating epileptic patients. One thing to keep in mind about a patient doctor relations, is the physiological effects the drug can produce. For example if the doctor and the patients strong have a positive attitude toward the drug than the likelihood of the drug working is high. According to study done with a two groups, one received the placebo and the other the drug, the results showed that the placebo group preferred to take it again instead of the group with the actual drug. As we haveseen there are some levels of toxicity and dependence with taking benzodiazepines. Some of the acute effects is that there are medical risks specifically for the elderly. The elderly are more susceptible of the drug because they take a longer effect than a normal person taking the drugs. Because this drug effects the brain function, an elderly person take the drug after several dosages can have symptoms of dementia, which can be confused These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. BIOL 3303 1st Editiondiagnosing them of Alzheimer’s. The recommend dosage for the elderly is either not to take the drug, but if they need it to take the short-acting way. If the drug is taken at the high dosage, there is no show of tolerances, but if there is high dosage of the drug then you see a sign of benzodiazepine dependence. Some of the symptoms are an increase in anxiety levels, insomnia, restlessness, and agitation. When comparing the severity of dependence between barbiturates and benzodiazepines, barbiturates have a stronger dependence and withdrawal symptoms. We need to understand how this drug work in the body. The key factor for the action of the drug is the GABA transmitter. Recall that GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitters on the nervous system. When benzodiazepines are in the GABA receptors there is an increase in action of GABA. The increase in GABA action has facilitated the inhibition and decrease activity level in the neurons involved. The GABA receptor has multiple binding receptors, but there are all different. As GABA attaches to its receptors there is an increase in the inhibition of benzodiazepines sites. But when both barbiturates and benzodiazepines attach to their own receptors they enhance the normal inhibitory effect of GABA leading to a cross tolerance and dependence of these two drugs. Cross tolerance works by one strong inducing tolerance for another drug that has not previously been take. For example, if you take only benzodiazepine and then replace it with a barbiturate and never taken this type of drug. The system could have developed a tolerance of the barbiturate even though you have never take the drug before and then you would need to take higher dosage to have the desired effects. Cross dependence is one drug can decrease withdrawal symptoms produced by discontinuation of another drug. Even though there are some advantages of taking benzodiazepines, there is a string tolerance and dependence between this drug and barbiturates. Now that we have finished talking about depressants, we need to shift gear and talk about various types of stimulants. In this lecture we will focus on one of the major ones called cocaine. We first need to look at the history of where it comes from and how it was made and also basic pharmacology of cocaine. One thing to keep in mind is that only a small population use cocaine, but there has been an increase of numbers for overdose of cocaine. Also, cocaine can’t be smoked, they are mainly taking by snorting the drug or injecting them through an I.V. There are two various form of cocaine, one is the powered looking and the other is called crack cocaine because the look like rocks and the crack. The most dangerous form is crack cocaine because is the purest and purest contains a high concentration. The way it works in the body is by blocking the re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. By chewing or sucking the cocoa leaves, we produce a slow absorption of cocaine and a low blood level relative to snorting, injection or taking crack cocaine. Used for a short acting drug, the drug is metabolized by enzymes in the blood and liver. Giving the drug a half like of one hour, but give an eight hour half-life for major metabolites. The most beneficial use for taking cocaine if for local anesthesia, but is not commonly known to be used in the United States, mainly in other parts of the world. If you take cocaine some of the acute toxicities is that the Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulates by progression into convulsions that can lead to respiratory or cardiac arrest. Unpredictable toxic reactions to cocaine and other local anesthetics can cause allergic reactions. Cocaine and alcohol can form a drug called coral ethylene, which can be more toxic than cocaine itself. Now if cocaine is take at higher dosage levels, thereis psychological problem called cocaine psychosis, this cause hallucinations and