BPS 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Ergotamine, 5-Ht Receptor, Triptan

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Biopharmaceutical sciences
• Course: BPS 1101
• Professor: William Ogilvie

Document Summary

Fungus that grows on rye; this is associated to witchcraft (1862): vasoconstrictor, dangerous treatment because extracts are hard to measure. Variable amount of active ingredient, administer too much, and can cause death. Isolated ergotamine (active ingredient in ergot: cafergot used to treat migraines in current times. Ergotamine: will prevent migraines, but fatal if dose is too high, death, muscle spasms, hallucinations, etc, hallucinogen when in the lsd form. Migraines: they start with serotonin; the fluctuation of the hormone (drop) before the event, 100% chemical. Serotonin: chemical in the body used for multiple processes: a drug only composed of serotonin would imbalance some homeostasis. This is called serotonin receptor selectivity: digestion and metabolism of drug takes a long time. Stomach, blood, then brain: triptan: good for the aura. Ineffective for pain, but a great preventative method. Drug-like substance: easy for the consumer to take with a beneficial effect. low side effects: relatively inexpensive, patentable.