PSYCHOPHARMACHOLOGY

PSYCHOPHARMACHOLOGY
Scientific study of the actions of drugs and their effects on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior y Psychoactive drugs interact with particular target sites or receptors found in the nervous system to induce widespread changes in physiological or psychological functions.
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MENTAL DISORDERS AND NEUROCHEMICAL IMBALANCE y Scientists understand that mental

illnesses are associated with changes in neurochemicals y Abnormally low or high concentrations of neurotransmitters at sites in the brain are thought to change the synaptic activities of neurons, thus ultimately leading to the disturbances of mood, emotion, or thought found in various mental disorders

MENTAL DISORDERS AND NEUROCHEMICAL IMBALANCE

MECHANISM OF IMPULSE TRANSMISSION

NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS

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serving as a precursor for the neurotransmitter inhibiting neurotransmitter synthesis preventing storage of neurotransmitter in the presynaptic vesicle stimulating or inhibiting neurotransmitter release stimulating or blocking postsynaptic receptors

NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS

stimulating auto receptors, inhibiting neurotransmitter release y blocking auto receptors, increasing neurotransmitter release y inhibiting neurotransmission breakdown y blocking neurotransmitter reuptake by the presynaptic neuron
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HORMONES AND PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS

drugs can alter the secretion of many hormones y hormones may alter the behavioral responses to drugs y hormones themselves sometimes have psychoactive properties y the secretion of some hormones, especially those dependent on the pituitary gland, is controlled by neurotransmitter systems in the brain
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MEDICATIONS USED TO TREAT MENTAL ILLNESS

HOW DO PSYCHAITRIC MEDICATIONS WORKS

HOW DO PSYCHAITRIC MEDICATIONS WORKS

Psychiatric medications target the complex chemistry of neurons and neurotransmitters in the brain and central nervous system. y The chemical structure of each neurotransmitter is designed to fit its neuroreceptor the way a key fits a lock.
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HOW DO PSYCHAITRIC MEDICATIONS WORKS

AGONIST AND

ANTAGONISTS

Agonist drugs
increase activity of Neurotransmitters y Stop Removal of Neurotransmitters from the Synapse y Increase Production of Neurotransmitters Antagonist drugs y Block the Receptor Sites y Speed Removal of Neurotransmitters from the Synapse y Decrease Production of Neurotransmitters

Agonist Drug Action Of Dopamine

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Some drugs are known as dopamine agonists. These drugs bind to dopamine receptors in place of dopamine and directly stimulate those receptors.

Agonist Drug Action Of Dopamine

Antagonist Drug Action Of Dopamine

dopamine antagonists are drugs that bind but don't stimulate dopamine receptors. Antagonists can prevent or reverse the actions of dopamine by keeping dopamine from attaching to receptors. y used to treat schizophrenia y regulate the system by "turning down" dopamine activity.
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Increased Dopamine Level

Some drugs increase dopamine by preventing dopamine reuptake, leaving more dopamine in the synapse. An example is the widely abused stimulant drug, cocaine. Cocaine blocks dopamine transporters, so keeping dopamine longer in the synapse and creating more firing of the dopamine reward system.
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Changed Flow of Neurotransmitter

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Drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine produce their effects by changing the flow of neurotransmitters. These drugs are defined as indirect acting because they depend on the activity of neurons.

Sensitization of Receptors
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long-term treatment with dopamine antagonists increases the number of dopamine receptors. This happens as the nervous system tries to make up for less stimulation of the receptors by dopamine itself. Likewise, the receptors themselves become more sensitive to dopamine.

Desensitization of Receptors
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dopamine agonists repeatedly stimulate dopamine receptors. Here overstimulation decreases the number of receptors, and the remaining receptors become less sensitive to dopamine. This is also called tolerance.

PHARMACOKINETICS
Pharmacokinetics is a branch of medicinal pharmacology that deals with the effects of drugs administered externally. y It can be defined very simply as what the body does to the drug
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Fundamentals of Pharmacokinetics
Absorption Defined as the transfer of a drug from the site of administration to the site of measurement. Distribution Defined as the reversible transfer of a drug to and from the site of measurement Elimination Defined as the irreversible transfer of a drug from the site of measurement and includes drug metabolism, renal excretion, biliary excretion as well as several other minor routes.

PHARMACHODYNAMICS
It is the study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs on the body or on microorganisms or parasites within or on the body and the mechanisms of drug action and the relationship between drug concentration and effect. y While pharmacodynamics explores what a drug does to the body, pharmacokinetics studies what the body does to the drug.
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Effects on the body

Increasing precursors Deactivating synthetic enzymes Inhibiting filling of vesicules Stimulating neurotransmitter release Inhibiting neurotransmitter release Stimulating postsynaptic receptors Inhibiting postsynaptic receptors Stimulating autoreceptors Blocking autoreceptors Blocking reuptake Prevent enzymatic deactivation

PSYCHAITRIC MEDICINES

PSYCHAITRIC MEDICINES
Antidepressant medications y Antianxiety medications y Antimanic medications y Anticonvulsant medications y Antipsychotic medications y Stimulants y Hallucinogens
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Antidepressant medications
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Antidepressants are drugs which treat disparate disorders such as clinical depression, dysthymia, anxiety, eating disorders Most antidepressants will restrain the catabolism of serotonin or norepinephrine or both.

Mode of action

Antidepressants
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): y Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) y Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
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Antidepressants
Paroxetine (Paxil), SSRI y Fluoxetine (Prozac), SSRI y Phenelzine (Nardil), MAOI
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Antianxiety medications
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Anti-anxiety drugs, also known as tranquilizers, are medications that relieve anxiety by slowing down the central nervous system.

Barbiturate:
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Barbiturates, also known as yellow jackets and reds, are often referred to by the color of the drug. Barbiturates are also called downers because they act as depressants, which slow down neural activity and the central nervous system.

Criticism on Barbiturate:

Anxiolytics
Benzodiazepines: These are a class of psychoactive drugs that act as central nervous system depressants. It relieves anxiety and relaxes muscles, the drugs work by selectively affecting neurons that have receptors for the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). y Diazepam (Valium) y Nitrazepam (Mogadon)
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Antimanic medications
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These are used to treat mood disorders. Antimanic medications are also known as mood stabilizers and are prescribed to help regulate changes in an individual's mood.

Antimanic medications
Lithium: Lithium evens out mood swings in both directions from mania to depression, and depression to mania. Too much glutamate in the space between neurons causes mania, and too little, depression. Lithium exerts a dual effect on receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate acting to keep the amount of glutamate active between cells at a stable y Carbamazepine (Tegretol), anticonvulsant mood stabilizer y Valproic acid (Valproate), anticonvulsant mood stabilizer
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Anticonvulsant medications
Anticonvulsant drugs are also known as Antiepileptic drugs. These drugs are used to treat epilepsy, prevent migraines, and treat other brain disorders y Anticonvulsants work by calming hyperactivity in the brain. The goal of an anticonvulsant is to suppress the rapid and excessive firing of neurons that start a seizure.
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Anticonvulsant medications

Antipsychotic medications

Antipsychotic medications
Antipsychotic drugs are also known as neuroleptics or major tranquilizers y Antipsychotics are prescription medications used to treat psychotic disorders
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Types of Antipsychotics:
There are two basic types of antipsychotics: older, "typical" antipsychotics (also known as firstgeneration antipsychotics) discovered and first used in the 1950s and newer, "atypical" antipsychotics (also known as second-generation antipsychotics) were developed and used in the 1970s.

Typical Antipsychotics
These medications were more likely than newer ones to cause extrapyramidal symptoms and these older medications were not very effective for "negative symptoms" of schizophrenia

Atypical Antipsychotics
They have largely replaced the older medications, due to the supposedly lower risk of side effects (particularly extrapyramidal side effects).

Typical and Atypical Antipsychotics

Mode of action
Psychotics episodes are linked to an excess of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Both typical and atypical neuroleptic drugs work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, reducing the activity of dopamine and thus reducing psychosis

Antipsychotics
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) y Haloperidol (Haldol) y Olanzapine (Zyprexa) y Risperidone (Risperdal)
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Stimulants
Stimulants (also called psychostimulants) are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Stimulants are a class of psychoactive drug that increase activity in the brain.

Stimulants
Caffeine y Nicotine y Cocaine y Amphetamines
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Mode of action
Neurotransmitters are regularly released in response to a stimulus, and reabsorbed to maintain a sufficient supply. When a person takes a stimulant, however, large amounts of dopamine and norepinephrine are released and prevented from being reabsorbed, causing a temporary boost in pleasure and a drop in pain

Hallucinogens
Hallucinogenic drugs, also known as psychedelics are drugs that change the way a person perceives the world. Hallucinogens affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions. They can cause a person to hallucinate to see or hear things that do not exist or are distorted.

Cannabis

Marijuana

Adverse Effects of Psychiatric Medications

Beneficial Effects of Psychiatric Medications