Drugs and Behavior General Issues

1. Drugs and BehaviorGeneral Issues Chapter 1

2. WHAT ARE DRUGS?

3. Drug – A Definition • A chemical or mixture of chemicals that alters biological function when administered • Psychotropic drug – Any chemical that alters behavior, cognition or emotion • Psychoactive drug – For our purposes, the same as the above

4. Names of Drugs Drugs have many names, most commonly: Brand, trade, ‘proprietary’ name: e.g., Desoxyn® different preparations, companies, etc. Generic, trivial, ‘nonproprietary’ name: e.g., methamphetamine Chemical name: N,alpha-dimethylphenethylamine Street name: e.g. ‘ice’ or ‘crank’ - same name may refer to different several different drugs. Mostly I will use the generic name.

5. The Science of Drugs • Pharmacology – The scientific study of drugs and drug action • Psychopharmacology – The subfield of pharmacology concerning the effects of drugs on behavior, emotion, and cognition

6. Classifying Drugs • Therapeutic vs. non-therapeutic • Legal vs. illegal • Recreational vs. medicinal • Mechanism of action • Site of action • By origin • By chemical structure • Behavioral effects

7. Classifying Drugs • Ultimately, as practiced, the classification of drugs is political/social as much as it is scientific. • Two main classifications • Scheduling • Behavioral effects

8. Schedule of Controlled Substances • Current schedule system has 5 schedules based on: • Safety • Medical use • Abuse potential

9. Schedule I • Includes heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA • The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. • The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. • There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

10. Schedule II • Includes morphine, cocaine, Ritalin, amphetamine, methamphetamine, OxyContin • The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. • Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

11. Schedule III • Includes anabolic steroids and Marinol. • The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II. • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. • Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

12. Schedule IV • Includes most benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan) and prescription sleep aids • The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule III. • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. • Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule III.

13. Schedule V • Includes codeine-containing cough medicines and some antidiarrheals. • The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule IV. • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. • Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule IV.

14. NC Schedule VI • No currently accepted medical use in the United States • Relatively low potential for abuse in terms of risk to public health and potential to produce psychic or physiological dependence liability based upon present medical knowledge • Need for further and continuing study to develop scientific evidence of its pharmacological effects.

15. Behavioral Effects Classification • Classified by effects on behavior and/or central nervous system • Depressants • Stimulants • Narcotics/Analgesics • Psychedelics

16. Depressants • Depress CNS activity leading to decreased physiological activity and sedation • Alcohol – Legal, Non-therapeutic • Barbiturates – Legal, Therapeutic • Benzodiazepines – Legal, Therapeutic

17. Stimulants • Stimulate CNS leading to increases in physiological processes and motor behavior • Cocaine – Illegal, Therapeutic • Amphetamine – Illegal, Therapeutic • Caffeine – Legal, Non-therapeutic • Nicotine – Legal, Non-therapeutic

18. Narcotic Analgesics (Opiates) • Act to increase activity in the endogenous opiate system leading to pain suppression, feelings of euphoria, well-being, and respiratory depression • Heroin – Illegal, Therapeutic • Codeine – Legal, Therapeutic • Morphine – Legal, Therapeutic • Vicodin, Percocet, etc. – Legal, Therapeutic

19. Psychedelics • Alter mood state and perception via action on the CNS. Group by convenience. All illegal, some with therapeutic use. • LSD (acid) • Psylocibin (mushrooms) • Phencyclidine (PCP)

20. Marijuana • In a class by itself • Complex behavioral effects • Main effect is on cannabinoid neurotransmitter system • Better fit with other classification systems • Origin - Alkaloid • Mechanism of action – Cannabinoid agonist

21. Take-Home Message • Ultimately we create our own “classification system” • A combination of many systems • We base this system on who we are, where we come from, and how drugs make us feel • With VERY few exceptions, everyone uses some kind of drug • At the same time, too many people take too much drugs

22. Video • http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C1387DACE613B755&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL