Chemical Substances with Psychoactive Effect - Coursework Example

Psychoactive Drugs Introduction: Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that have a primary action on the central nervous system, and are hence also known as psychotropic substances. Psychoactive drugs alter the functioning of the brain, causing changes in perception, mood, consciousness, and behavior temporarily. Psychoactive drugs are classified into stimulants, depressants, antipsychotic drugs, and hallucinogens depending on the manner that they act on the central nervous system, and the different resultant alterations in brain functions. Psychoactive substances have been used by humans since prehistoric times with historical evidence pointing to its use in cultural activities nearly five thousand years ago. Even today coffee, which contains the psychotropic substance caffeine, and alcohol are consumed frequently to alter the mood of the individual on a recreational basis. The ability of psychoactive substances to alter the functioning of the brain temporarily has led to its use in the treatment and management of conditions and diseases that involve the brain. There are many examples for this like the use of stimulants in the treatment of narcolepsy and attention disorders and narcotics in the management of pain. Other examples that stand out are the use of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics in the treatment and management of neurological and psychiatric illnesses. These beneficial aspects of psychoactive substances are however marred by the fact that many of these psychotropic substances can be habit forming, thus leading to substance abuse and lead to massive costs to society. Thus psychoactive drugs give rise to controversy in respects to the risks and benefits that it poses to society and the kind of laws that need to be in place to regulate its use. (1) Stimulants: Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that cause a temporary enhancement of alertness and wakefulness in an individual. Besides stimulating the central nervous system, a majority of the stimulants also cause an enhanced functioning of the sympathetic nervous system, which could lead to euphoria, and recreational abuse of the drug. The therapeutic use of stimulants is to maintain or increase alertness in situations, when sleep as a result of normal fatigue is not desirable. It is also used in abnormal conditions like narcolepsy, where there is diminished alertness. Stimulants also find use to boost endurance and productivity, and to suppress appetite. Commonly used stimulants are amphetamines, nicotine, coffee, and cocaine. (2) Amphetamines find use in medicine, as a standard treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Improved impulse control and concentration, decreased sensory over stimulation and decreased irritability are the benefits offered by amphetamines in the treatment of ADHD, particularly in the treatment of young children. However the widespread availability of amphetamines has led to amphetamine substance abuse of amphetamines. It is used mainly as a performance enhancer, and as a recreational club drug. Prescriptions for amphetamines get diverted for this purpose, and as a result high school and college students find it relatively easy to come by. Amphetamines demonstrate the manner in which psychoactive drugs are a boon, as well as a bane to society. (3) Depressants: Depressants are a group of chemical agents that diminish the function or activity of the central nervous system. They are also known as neurotransmitters in medical parlance and “downers”, when the drug is abused. The action of depressants on the central nervous system is mainly through increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The main function of GABA is to calm the central nervous system and induce sleep, and hence depressants are effective in treating symptoms of anxiety or insomnia. Depressants can cause side effects of slurred speech, dizziness and loss of coordination, and so activity needs to be regulated during its use. The most popular depressants fall into two classes namely barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Depressants are also made up of alcohol, narcotics and tranquilizers. Barbiturates are extremely useful in certain conditions like febrile fits, but are also a psychoactive drug that finds frequent abuse of use. Benzodiazepines have a similar impact as barbiturates in similar conditions, but are less toxic. However both sets of depressants have inherent risks attached to their use. In the case of barbiturates the risk arises from the possibility of overdose and drug/alcohol interaction, while with benzodiazepines addiction and psychological withdrawal symptoms are the foremost risk factors. (4) Antipsychotic Drugs: The development of this group of psychoactive drugs was more by chance than by design, when a surgical anesthetic was found to have a beneficial impact in the treatment and management of psychosis. Antipsychotic drugs are also known as neuroleptic drugs or neuroleptics, because of their ability to stabilize the mood of individuals. This ability of mood stabilization of antipsychotic drugs finds use in the management of common psychotic conditions of schizophrenia, mania, and delusion disorder. Antipsychotic drugs are also used in the treatment of mood disorders, even when there is no indication of the presence of psychosis. They also find use in the treatment of Tourette syndrome. The two main types of antipsychotic drugs currently in use are typical antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics. A new class of antipsychotic drugs has emerged in the form of dopamine partial agonists, which are quite often categorized as atypical antipsychotics. Anti-psychotic drugs appear free of drug abuse issues, but are linked to a number of adverse reactions like dystonias, akathisia, Parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, tachycardia, hypotension, impotence, lethargy, seizures, and hyperprolactinaemia. In addition to adverse reactions the use of antipsychotic drugs is also plagued with controversy, as studies have indicated that the use of antipsychotic drugs could lead to poorer outcomes for the patients using them. The study published by the World Health Organization suggests better outcomes for patients in developing countries using antipsychotic drugs, though the outcomes for patients in developed countries still remain doubtful. (5) Hallucinogens: Hallucinogens occur naturally in many mushrooms, cacti and other plants, and as such were among the earliest drugs known to man, and were used as a medicine, in religious activities and for recreation by many cultures. However in modern times the possession of many of the hallucinogens is a crime in many countries. The pharmacological agents grouped as hallucinogens are broadly categorized into three, namely psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. The common factor in these hallucinogens is that can bring about subjective changes in perception, thought, emotion and consciousness. In contrast to the other psychoactive drugs like stimulants and opioids, hallucinogens do not just amplify familiar states of mind, on the other hand they induce experiences that have qualitative differences from those of ordinary consciousness, and are typical of trance, meditation, conversion experience and dreams. However they do not cause hallucinations as the name suggests. In the 1960s the use of hallucinogens by anti-establishment and protest groups led to hallucinogens being viewed as dangerous to society, and as such except for dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine and dimenhydrinate, most of the other commonly known hallucinogens are banned in the developed world. There has been a renewed call for permitting the use of hallucinogens. While admitting that unregulated use of hallucinogens is harmful to individuals and society the call for lifting the ban on the use of hallucinogens is for controlled use for appropriate purposes. (6) Conclusion: The psychoactive drugs form a group of pharmacological products that are remarkable in that they all act on the central nervous system or the brain and therefore have a significant impact in the management and treatment of diseases and conditions associated with the central nervous system and the brain. It is this aspect of acting on the brain of an individual that causes psychoactive drugs to be of importance to society. Psychoactive drugs offer the possibility for providing relief the mentally ill segment of society, and thereby reducing the negative impact that this segment has on society. The side effects of the psychoactive drugs, with particular reference to the antipsychotics are potentially dangerous, and can impair the health of the individual. Therefore care in their use becomes imperative, and more so when these drugs do not provide the expected result. As newer psychoactive drugs emerge it is essential that their potential benefits far outweigh their risks before they are introduced in the management and treatment of the mentally ill. Since the psychoactive group of drugs acts on the brain of the individual, and affects the moods and emotions of the individuals, and also induces experiences, the potential for misuse is high, and has been resorted to with the freely available psychoactive drugs. This negates the benefits that psychoactive drugs offer society, and instead lead to extreme costs for society. Regulation reduces the availability of psychoactive drugs on one hand, and on the other hand does not prevent a determined individual from abusing the drug. The solution then lies in individuals in society realizing their responsibilities, and refraining from abusing the psychoactive group of drugs, so that their benefits can be derived by society. Works Cited 1. “Psychoactive drug”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . 2. “Stimulant”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . 3. “Amphetamine”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . 4. “Depressant”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . 5. “Antipsychotic”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . 6. “Psychedelics, dissociatives and delirants”. WIKIPEDIA. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Feb. 2007. . Read More