Depressants

B.4.1 Describe the effects of depressants.
 * Depressants (3h)**

Depressants are drugs whose consumption depresses or slows down the central nervous system by interfering with the transmission of nerve cells (neurons). Since the nerve cells are transmitting at a slower rate, the functions of the body, both physical and mental activity is slowed down. One can imagine this by thinking of the neurons as cars speeding across a highway and when they encounter depressants they get flat tires, hence, the cars (neurons) must move slower. The larger the dose of a depressant the stronger the effect becomes. At low doses depressants induce a feeling of calm and relieve anxiety, they can even make the person sleepy, However in large doses they can practically stop the nervous system which controls breathing and heart rate which can lead to serious side-effects such as fainting, coma, and even death. Depressants are also quite ironically called anti-depressants, because they relieve the symptoms of mental depression. media type="youtube" key="zoneGLErQ4M?fs=1" height="385" width="640" B.4.2 Discuss the social and physiological effects of the use and abuse of ethanol. Include effects on the family, cost to society and the short- and long-tem health effects.

The most common form of a depressant is alcohol (ethanol). Alcohol is usually drank. And is most commonly found in beverages such as beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Alcohol and the depressants it contains cause a number of serious issues such as: damaged health, and social costs. While alcohol is seen as pleasant, alcohol has serious short, and long term effects on the body and mind.

__//**Short term effects include:**//__
 * Feeling of relaxation, confidence, and increased sociability.
 * Dilates small blood vessels creating a feeling of warmth.
 * as amounts of alcohol in the system increase judgement and concentration is seriously impaired
 * At high doses speed is slurred and the person has a loss of balance.
 * Violent behavior is a common sign of a high level of alcohol toxicity.
 * Can cause vomiting and even death from the inhalation of vomit or a stopping of breathing.

__//**Long Term effects include:**//__
 * severe health issues, generally related to the the liver including [|cirrhosis] and cancer.
 * Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes.
 * Increased risk of [|dementia].
 * during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, and or fetal abnormalities.

__//**Physiological effects:**//__ alcohol is not digested like most foods and instead by passes the normal system and goes straight into the blood stream affecting every cell and organ in the body. (Article relating to the physiological effects of alcohol: []) __//**Social effects:**//__ //__﻿__// //__**Social Costs**:__// B.4.3 Describe and explain the techniques used for the detection of ethanol in the breath and in the blood or urine. Include potassium dichromate (VI) in the breathalyser, analysis of blood or urine by chromatography and absorption of infra-red radiation in the intoximeter. Due to the number of deaths that are caused by drunk driving governments have imposed strict laws concerning drinking and driving. They have decided to set blood alcohol concentration limits on people that drive. The legal driving limit is 80mg of ethanol per 100cm cubed of blood. According to government officials anyone with a BAC level over this limit is unable to drive because of their hampered reaction time, balance, and judgement. In order to measure BAC levels law enforcement agents have an array of ways to test for BAC levels including simple breathalyzer tests, blood or urine analysis by chromatography and absorption of infra-red radiation in the intoximeter.
 * at low doses sociability increases due to decreased anxiety and an increased sense of confidence.
 * Out of all of the traffic accidents in the United States 40% are alcohol related. ([|link to statistics])
 * alcohol can cause violent behavior leading to death or serious injury of others and self
 * family breakdowns due to alcohol consumption.

Breathalyser:

B.4.4 Describe the synergistic effects of ethanol with other drugs. Examples include increased risk of stomach bleeding with aspirin, and increased risk of heavy sedation with any drug that has a sedative effect on the central nervous system.


 * Synergy:** combined action or functioning; synergism. (dictionary.com)


 * Ethanol with Aspirin:**

The combination of alcohol with aspirin in a daily use results in a synergistic effect. Through this combined daily use, the stomach lining becomes weaker until the acids inside the stomach tare the lining and causes internal bleeding.


 * Ethanol with Sedatives:**

When combining alcohol with sedative drugs, a synergistic effect is produced. This means that the depression of alcohol combined with the depression of any sedative drug (Xanax, Seconal, Amytal, Butisol, Nembutal, etc.) will cause a greater sum. This effect is commonly expressed with the 1 + 1 = 3 formula. This effect can lead to dizziness, forgetfulness, coma or death.

media type="youtube" key="bzo0KKZL1S4?fs=1" height="385" width="640" B.4.5 List other commonly used depressants and describe their structures. Limit this to a brief mention of the use of diazepam (Valium Ò ), nitrazepan (Mogadon Ò ) and fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac Ò ).

__** Diazepam (Valium®) **__




 * Description: ** Diazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative. The crystalline compound may range from a colorless substance to a light yellow substance. It is insoluble in water.

7-chloro-1,3-dihydro-1-methyl-5-phenyl-1,4-benzodiazepin-2(3//H//)-one
 * Systematic (IUPAC) Name:**


 * Formula:** [|C] 16 [|H] 13 [|Cl][|N] 2 [|O]


 * Molar Mass:** 284.7 g/mol


 * Usage:** Diazepam is a prescription drug. It is utilized as a muscle-relaxant, sedative, anticonvulsant, exerts anxiolytic, and amnesic effects. Most of these effects are caused by facilitating the action of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter located in the central nervous system. It should never be used during pregnancy because it can cause fetal abnormalities. When using it in animals, diazepam is used for the same reasons as humans but it also increases appetite and to treat behavior problem like aggression or urine problems.


 * __Nitrazepam (Mogadon®) __**




 * Description:** Nitrazepam is also benzodiazepine derivative.


 * Systematic (IUPAC) Name:** 9-nitro-6-phenyl-2,5-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undeca-5,8,10,12-tetraen-3-one


 * Formula:** [|C] 15[|H] 11[|N] 3[|O] 3


 * Molar Mass:** 281.3 g/mol


 * Usage:** Nitrazepam is a prescription drug. It is used for treating sleeping problems (insomnia) as a short-term medicine. These may be awakenings during the night, difficulty falling asleep, early-morning awakenings. It can also be used to manage myoclonic seizures. Nitrazepam treats these effects through slowing down the nerves in the brain also known as the central nervous system.


 * __Fluoxetine Hydrochloride (Prozac®)__**

**Description:** Fluoxetine hydrochloride is an antidepressant drug in the group called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).


 * Systematic (IUPAC) Name:** // N // -methyl-3-phenyl-3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]propan-1-amine


 * Formula:** C17H18F3NO


 * Molar Mass:** 309.33 g mol−1


 * Usage:** Fluoxetine hydrochloride is also a prescription drug. Its uses are for major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), treatment-resistant depression, bipolar I disorder and bulimia nervosa. Fluoxetine works by balancing the chemicals in the brain that become unbalanced.

Sources:

[] [] [] [] [] http://www.inchem.org/documents/antidote/antidote/diazepam.htm [] [] [] [] []

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