Pharmacology - Chapter 21: Sedatives and Hypnotics.
Sedative-hypnotic drugs, commonly referred to as depressants, slow down the activity of your brain. Regular use of sedatives can lead to your body building a tolerance, which means that your body needs more of the drug to get the same result.This can lead to dependence, which results in withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not taken.
Hypnotic (from Greek Hypnos, sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia (sleeplessness), or for surgical anesthesia. (note 1) This group is related to sedatives.
Sedative drugs are helpful for treating anxiety and sleep problems, but using them can lead to dependence or addiction. Sedatives are a category of drugs that slow brain activity.
Sedatives, also known as depressants. Overview of Sedatives. Common sedatives include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), opioids and sleep inducing drugs such as zolpidem (Ambien) and eszopiclone (Lunesta). Sedatives are central nervous system depressants and vary widely in their potency. They are usually in the form.
Most healthy patients can tolerate small variations in a drug’s absorption or metabolism that are caused by coadministration of another drug. Combining sedatives is problematic. The combination of ethanol with a benzodiazepine is an important source of serious toxicity. 63. TABLE 13-3 Adverse Drug Interactions: Anxiolytics and Sedative-Hypnotics.
Anxiolytics and sedatives are used in current anaesthetic practice for two main reasons: for anxiolysis before surgery and as adjuvants during anaesthesia.
Classification of central nervous system depressants; Possible biochemical mechanism of action of anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics; Effects on cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems. Comparative Advantages and disadvantages of sedative-hypnotic classes; Anxiolytics.