Download الشريحة 1

‫ابتسام الشدي‬
EBTESAM AL-SHEDDI

Email: [email protected]
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Site: faculty.ksu.edu.sa/10252
THE COURSE TOPICS
DEPRESSANTS
 CANNABIS
 HALLUCINOGEN

BY THE END OF THIS COURSE
You should be able to:
 Identify the different classes of depressant
drugs and to determine their effects on the
human on short and long run and the possible
signs and symptoms of withdrawal
 Determine the different classes of
hallucinogenic substance and their effects
 Know the cannabis class and its effect

THE ASSESSMENT TASKS DURING THE SEMESTER
Assessment task
Major exam I
Major exam II
Final exam
Practical exam
Total
Marks
15
15
40
30
100
Introduction
TERMS
Substance abuse
Taking a drug or any substance for a non-therapeutic
or non-medical effect.
 Drug addiction= Substance dependence "When an
individual persists in use of alcohol or other drugs
despite problems related to use of the substance


Tolerance
can be defined as the phenomenon of decreased
effect with prolonged exposure to a drug.
• “Abused drugs”
create
“artificially”
pleasurable
experiences for the brain by interfering
with
the
normal
activities
of
“neurotransmitters” or the chemicals
that send “chemical information” from
one neuron (brain cell) to another.
Major Neurotransmitters:
1. Norepinephrine – chemical messenger
to cause us to protect ourselves when we
are angry or afraid, the fight-or flight
responses.
2. Dopamine – chemical messenger for
pleasure.
3. Endorphins – chemical messengers for
relieving pain and stress – natural opiate.
4. Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
Is one of the brain’s principal
neurotransmitters, being particularly
involved in the inhibition of stimulation.
GABA is involved in coordination and
the function of the brain’s systems,
which allow us to “think” and “make
choices.”
Depressants
DEPRESSANTS (DOWNERS)



Slow down the central nervous system.
At low doses: produce a feeling of calm, relax muscles, relieve feelings of tension
and worry, and drowsiness.
At higher doses: some produce sever intoxication, unconsciousness, coma and
death.
Examples:
 Alcohol, solvents/inhalants
 Cannabis (also belongs to hallucinogen drug class)
 Opioids (opium, pethadine, methadone, heroin)
 Prescribed tranquilizers : Benzodiazepines (eg valium)
 Sleeping pills: Benzodiazepines and Barbiturates
 GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate)
Depressants :Alcohols
Alcohol
• Alcohol in beverages is ethyl alcohol.
• Amount of alcohol in beer and wine is usually
described as a percentage of the total volume.
• Synthesized or produced naturally by
fermentation
• C6H12O6→ 2(CH3-CH2-OH) + 2CO2
• 1 glass wine= 1 shot of whiskey= 12 beer
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND THEIR
ALCOHOL EQUIVALENCIES
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Alcohol is a depressant drug
stimulating GABA – gammaaminobutyric acid – which is one of
the brains principal
neurotransmitters and therefore
gives an overall depression of brain
function.
Copyright Alcohol Medical Scholars
Program
PHARMACOKINETICS: ABSORPTION
Rapidly absorbed primarily from
duodenum
 Rate of absorption is extremely variable
 Peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
depends on:

 Amount
and alcohol concentration of
beverage
 Rate of drinking
 Food consumption and composition
Copyright Alcohol Medical Scholars
Program
DISTRIBUTION
Volume of distribution = Total Body Water
 Gender Differences in body composition

Copyright Alcohol Medical Scholars
Program
METABOLISM

Metabolism
 90-98%
Alcohol
metabolized in liver
Alcohol
Aldehyde
Acetaldehyde
Acetate
dehydrogenase
dehydrogenase
 Accumulation
of acetaldehyde associated with
headache, gastritis, nausea, dizziness (hangover)
Short term effects
• Small doses: euphoria, drowsiness, dizziness,
flushing, release of inhibitions and tensions.
• Larger doses: slurred speech, staggering, double
vision.
• Very large doses: death.
• Alcohol should not be ingested simultaneously
with other central nervous system depressants.
20
Copyright Alcohol Medical
Scholars Program
ALCOHOL-DRUG INTERACTIONS

Illicit drugs
(e.g., cocaine, heroin)

Prescription drugs
(e.g., benzodiazepines, metronidazole)

Over-the-counter drugs
(e.g., acetaminophen)
Rx
Long-Term Effects
• Alcohol affects the immune, endocrine, and
reproductive systems.
• It can cause neurological damage, including
dementia, blackouts, seizures, and hallucinations.
• Various cancers are associated with heavy
drinking.
• It can result in hepatitis, chronic gastritis,
hypertension, cirrhosis of the liver, and coronary
heart disease.
• the third leading cause of birth defects and mental
retardation among newborns.
Characteristics
Growth retardation
Facial malformations
Small head
Greatly reduce intelligence
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Alcohol abuse occurs when there are ongoing
negative consequences from drinking.

Alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, is more
severe and occurs when people have problems
stopping drinking.
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
Chronic drinkers are likely to become physically
and psychologically dependent.
 Sleeplessness
 Sweating
 Nausea and vomiting
 Tremors
 Seizures
 Hallucination
 Death

Disulfiram is an inhibitor of aldehyde
dehydrogenase leading to nausea, dizziness,
headache and flushing, making the entire drinking
experience very aversive, and thus decreasing the
desire to drink.
 Naltrexone (Revia) is approved for the treatment of
alcoholism. It is an opioid antagonist. It has been
shown to be useful in decreasing craving for
alcohol, which is associated by its ability to block
opioid function.

Acamprosate acts by stimulating the GABA
inhibitory system and antagonizing the
glutamate excitatory system, thus decreasing
drinking.
 Benzodiazepines are used primarily in the
treatment of the hyperexcitability, including
convulsions and hallucinations, during
withdrawal.
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