Sedative Hypnotics, Part 2

Question 1: What is a sedative?

Answer 1: A sedative is a substance that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, and slowed breathing, as well as slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. Sedatives may be referred to as tranquilizers, depressants, anxiolytics, soporifics, sleeping pills, downers, or sedative-hypnotics. Sedatives can be abused to produce an overly-calming effect (alcohol being the classic and most common sedating drug). At high doses or when they are abused, many of these drugs can cause unconsciousness and even death.

There are lots of good resources about Sedative Hypnotics that you can find available.

Question 2: Discuss the syptoms of dependence of sedative hypnotics.

Answer 2: Symptoms of dependence: tolerance resulting in higher levels needed to achieve the same calming effect.Symptoms of psychological dependence: needing the drug to function and being obsessed with obtaining the drug.Symptoms of withdrawal: restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, seizures, even death in some cases.To be clinically diagnosed as dependent on a substance, 3 or more of the following symptoms must be exhibited simultaneously during a 12-month period:Amount and duration of substance intake is longer than intended Efforts to control intake are not successful A great deal of effort is put into obtaining, using, or recovering from effects of the substance Due to use of substance, other activities (social, work-related, leisure) are reduced or abandoned Substance is used even when known to cause or exacerbate a persistent or recurrent psychological, or physical problem Tolerance of the substance Withdrawal from the substance

Question 3: Give an overview of abuse and overdose of sedatives.

Answer 3: All sedatives can be abused, but barbiturates and benzodiazepines are responsible for most of the problems with sedative abuse due to their widespread recreational or non-medical use. People who have difficulty dealing with stress, anxiety or sleeplessness may overuse or become dependent on sedatives. Heroin users take them either to supplement their drug or to substitute for it. Stimulant users frequently take sedatives to calm excessive jitteriness. Others take sedatives recreationally to relax and forget their worries. Barbiturate overdose is a factor in nearly one-third of all reported drug-related deaths. These include suicides and accidental drug poisonings. Accidental deaths sometimes occur when a drowsy, confused user repeats doses, or when sedatives are taken with alcohol. In the U.S., in 1998, a total of 70,982 sedative exposures were reported to U.S. poison control centers, of which 2310 (3.2) resulted in death. About half of all the people admitted to emergency rooms in the U.S. as a result of nonmedical use of sedatives have a legitimate prescription for the drug, but have taken an excessive dose or combined it with alcohol or other drugs.

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