Depressants

1
Depressants

• L. Scheffler

2
Depressants

• Depress the central nervous system by interfering
  with the transmission of neural impulses in the
  nerve cells (neurons)

3
Effects of Depressants

• Slow down bodily functions especially motor
  activity and mental activity
• Low doses
• Feelings of calm and reduced anxiety
• Induced sleep
• Large doses
• Loss of consciousness, coma, death

4
Alcohol

• Ethanol is the only common alcohol that can be
  consumed. Other common alcohols such as methanol
  and isopropyl are much too toxic
• Alcohols are used as antiseptics for injections
  and to harden skin

5
Alcoholism

• Prolonged consumption of alcohol leads to both
  psychological and physiological dependence
• Alcoholism also results in
• Violent antisocial behavior
• Social costs to families
• Safety issues especially road accidents

6
Alcohol Consumption

• Short term effects
• Relaxation, confidence, and increased sociability
• Dialation of blood vessels leads to feelings of
  warmth
• Impaired judgment
• Lengthened neural response time

7
Alcohol consumption

• Long term effects of heavy drinking
• Cirrhosis of the liver and liver disease
• Coronary heart disease
• High blood pressure and strokes
• Dementia
• Miscarriage
• Fetal abnormalities and fetal alcohol syndrome

8
Alcohol Withdrawal

• Sudden discontinuation of alcohol by heavy
  drinkers leads to withdrawal symptoms including
• Delirium
• Tremors

9
Legal limits for driving

• Most states in the US and many countries have
  established 0.08 blood alcohol as the legal
  limit for driving
• After drinking the concentration of alcohol in
  the blood increases as the alcohol is absorbed
  and then gradually declines

10
Alcohol detection

• Breathalyser tests
• Reduction of potassium dichromate to Cr3 ion
• Fuel cell where alcohol is oxidized to produce an
  electric current
• Gas Chromatography
• Infrared spectroscopy- intoximeter

11
Other Depressants

• Certain medicines known as antidepressants are
  used to treat anxiety, stress, and clinical
  depression
• These include
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Nitrazepam
• Fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac)

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Fluoxetine Hydrochloride(Prozac)

• Prozac is an example of the selective serotonin
  reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
• SSRIs work by preventing neurons (nerve cells)
  from pulling in the serotonin that is floating in
  the space between neurons. This allows more
  serotonin to build up and improves communication
  between the neurons.

13
Tranquilizers

• Valium

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Barbituates

• Barbiturates are short acting, and include
  pentobarbital, secobarbital, and amobarbital.
• Affect the cortex and create a state similar to
  alcoholic intoxication in large doses.
• Extremely dangerous when mixed with alcohol or
  other drugs.
• A person in withdrawal suffers anxiety,
  agitation, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting,
  sweating, a fast heartbeat, tremors, and cramps.
  These symptoms can escalate to convulsions,
  delirium, and hallucinations.