1. by origin (opiates)

2. by therapeutic use (antidepressants)

3. by chemical structure (barbituates)

4. by mechanism of action (opiodergic & GABAergic)

5. by street name (bud, pot)

Pharmacological Factors

 Factors of the Drug Experience

1. pharmacodynamics: how a drug acts within the brain (Drug Actions)

2. Dosage: the measure of how much of the drug is consumed

3. pharmacokinetics: how a drug gets there (Route of Administration) ADME

Characteristics of Drug User

Factors of the Drug Experience

1. Genetics: biologically inherited difference in reactions to drugs

2. Sex: (males have higher body water)

3. Age: (changes in metabolism)

4. Experience: drug specific

5. Developmental: (exposed as child)

6. Personality

7. Psychological Set: (expectancies)

8. Interactions: all of these factors together

Context

Factors of the Drug Experience

Setting is a major role in substance abuse

1. Laws

2. Physical environment

3. People

lifetime occurence of an event,

usually expressed in terms of a percentage of some population

Number of first time occurences of an event,

during a period of time

The same person's regular use of more than 1 drug

(alcohol & tobacco)

(cocaine & heroin)

1. Alcohol-related accidents (MV, Falls)

2. Alcohol overdose

3. Liver Disease

4. Other cancers, heart disease

5. Alcohol-related violence

Drug Abuse/ Misuse

Substance Abuse

definition

Maladaptive substance use that causes clinically important distress or impairment as shown in a single 12 month period by 1 or more of the 4 symptoms

considered LESS severe

must have 1 or more of the following symptoms to be diagnosed:

1. failure to carry out major obligations at work, home, or school because of repeated substance use

2. repeated use of substance in situations where it is physically hazardous (swimming, driving)

3. repeated experience of legal problems

4. Continued use of substance despite knowing that it has caused or worsened social or interpersonal problems

A maladaptive pattern of substance use that leads to clinically important distress or impairment as shown in a single 12 month period by 3 of the 7 symptoms

Considered MORE severe

Diagnostic form of "addiction"

must have 3 of the following:

1. Amount or duration of use often greater than intended

2. continually trying without success to control or reduce use

3. spending much time using, recovering, or trying to obtain it

4. reducing or abandoning important work, social, or leisure activities because of use

5. continuing to use despite knowing that it has probably cause ongoing physical or psychological problems.

6. Tolerance

7. Withdrawal

Maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by 2 or more of the symptoms, occuring within a 12 month period

1. Failure to fulfill obligations

2. use in physically hazardous situations

3. continued use despite having social or interpersonal problems caused or worsened by the effects of use

4. Tolerance

5. Withdrawal

6. Often takin in larger amounts or for longer durations than intended

7. unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use

8. spending much time using, recovering, or obtaining

9. social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up

10. use continued despite knowing it has probably caused physical or psychological problems

11. craving or strong desire to use

**NOTE: absence of legal problems

1. GABA

2. Glutamate

3. Monoamines

        Norepinephrine (NE)

        Serotonin (5HT)

        Dopamine (DA)

4. Endorphines

Primary inhibitory neurotransmitter

One of the most widespread NT

"Brakes" of the brain

Primary excitatory neurotransmitter

"Gas" of the brain

1. Norepinephrine(NE): associated with level of arousal; equivalent of adrenaline.

2. Serotonin(5HT): associated with array of biological function: mood, sleep, appetite

3. Dopamine(DA): 2 primary roles: reward & motivation, movement

Powerful Reward: activate primary reward pathway in the brain.  This is the same pathway that is activated through other fitness enhancing behaviors (food & sex)

Frugivory: Fruit consumption assisted by smell of alcohol which indicates the presence of fruit and urges organism to find food aswell as stimulates appetite.

Disinfectant: Alcohol is a bactericide and although today this is not as impotant, it was important for fighting infection and was often times safer than water.

1875

Banned Opium Dens

Didn't ban smoking opium!

1906

designed to control opium addiction

required accurate labeling of products containing opiates, alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana

1914

resulted from international agreement on opium control

regulated opiates and other drugs via licensing

inaccurate inclusion of cocaine as a narcotic

stimulated the creation of treatment centers in larger cities

counterproductive: shifted opiate and morphine addicts to heroin and doubled the number of addicts in the U.S.

18th Amendment --Prohibition

Pros

1920 "The Noble Experiment"

prohibited the production, sale, transportation, importing of alcohol anywhere in the U.S.

Pros:

1. victory for temperance movement
2. reduced drinking by 30-50%
3. reduced alcohol related arrests
4. reduced liver cirrhosis deaths
5. reduced alcohol-related treatment admissions

18th amendment--Prohibition

Cons

Cons:

1. extremely difficult to enforce
2. increases in marijuana use
3. disproportionately affected working americans--criticized for being biased
4. highly unpopular
5. criminal groups took over alcohol distrubution, organized crime proliferated
6. dangers of black market alcohol use

1933: 21st amendment--Repeal of prohibition due to unpopularity and negative consequences

1937: Marijuana Tax Act-- Harrison act for MJ

1940-1970: various legislative changes increase legal consequences, expand attention, and identify need for treatment.

1965: Drug Abuse Control Amendment-- stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens are regulated under federal law

1970: Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act-- the basis for current drug regulation in the U.S.

I: high potential for abuse; no accepted medical use

heroin, MDMA (X), Quaaludes, Marijuana

II: high potential for abuse; accepted medical use with severe restrictions; severe dependence

opium, Cocaine, Methamphetamines, Oxycodone, PCP

III: potential for abuse (lower than I & II); accepted medical use; moderate dependence

ketamine, marinol, tylenol with codeine

IV: low potential for abuse; accepted medical use; limited dependence relative to schedule III

valium, ativan, xanax

V: even lower potential for abuse; accepted medical use; even lower dependence

phernagan, robitussin A-C

Specialized cell in the brain; able to communicate with other cells

(basic building blocks of the nervous system)

Neurons are like other cells in the body, but can communicate with each other.  We have about 100 BILLION neurons in our brains.

spiny, branchlike structures that extend from cell body of a neuron, contain numerous receptor sites and are important in neural transmission

"EARS" of the neuron -- recieve information

long cylindrical extension of the cell body of the neuron; transmits information by conducting electrical signal (action potential) from one end of the neuron to the other

"MOUTH" of neuron

fatty white substance that covers the axons of some neurons

provides insulation for the axon, silimar to a wire (not all axons are covered in myelin sheaths--"unmyelinated"

Action Potential

and how it is created

the electrical impulse along the axon that occurs when a neuron fires

How is an action potential created?

1. the flow of charged particles (ions) across the axon membrane reaches a threshold
2. ion channels open and permit positive ions in, massively depolarizing the neuron
3. which creates an ACTION POTENTIAL: (rapid change in electrochemical valence of cell, that then travels away from cell)

Axon Terminal

(terminal button)

button like structures at the ends of axon branches.

Axon terminals store neurotransmitters.

They don't come in contact with dendrites of other neurons

the junction between neurons

it is generally seperated by a gap called the synaptic cleft

chemical substances stored in the axon terminals that are released into the synapse when the neuron fires. 

 Neurotransmitters then influence activity in postsynaptic neurons.

1. mimic or block neurotransmitters (stopping or enhancing communication)
2. alter synthesis or transport (speed up, or slow down the transport)
3. affect storage or release
4. alter break down or reuptake (change how rapidly NTs are broken down or taken out of synapse

• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor: serotonin stays in synapse longer and overstimulates post-synaptic neuron

Agonist: increases activity of neurotransmitters

Antagonist: reduces activity of neurotransmitters

• Nicotine = agonist        /    Atropine = antagonist of ACETYLCHOLINE
• Cocaine = agonist       /    Chlorpromazine = antagonist of DA & NE
• LSD = agonist            /     Chlorpromazine = antagonist of SEROTONIN
• Morphine = agonist     /     Naloxone = antagonist of ENDORPHINS
• barbiturates = agonist  /    Bicuculline = antagonist of GABA
• Aspartic Acid = agonist /   PCP = antagonist of GLUTAMATE