PS268 Chapter Notes - Chapter 18: Partial Agonist, Acamprosate, Opioid Antagonist
Document Summary
The social and economic costs of alcohol and other drugs in canada. 2 million canadians meet diagnostic criteria for being dependent on or having abused alcohol and other drugs. Burden of drug use at about billion/year created substantial drain on canada"s economy. Substance abuse/dependence are increasingly being viewed as brain diseases. As we increase our understanding of the brain mechanisms mediating substance abuse, we should be better able to use medications to target these mechanisms, thereby blocking the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse (the magic bullet approach) Major hope is that pharmacotherapies will provide a window of opportunity by relieving withdrawal symptoms, so that behavioural or psychosocial treatments can be used. Benzodiazepines like diazepam (valium) and lorazepam (ativan) which increase the activity of gaba. Barbiturates like phenobarbital and naltexone which also increase activity of gaba. Naltrexone (revia) which is an opioid receptor antagonist. Acamprosate (campral) which normalizes basal gaba concentrations and blocks alcohol-withdrawal-induced glutamate increases.
