Barbiturates alcohol

Sellers EM Alcohol, barbiturate and benzodiazepine withdrawal syndromes clinical management. CMAJ 139 113—120, 1988... 

Depressants alcohol, barbiturates Opioids heroin, morphine, methadone... 

Withdrawal of CNS depressants (abrupt) Alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines... 

With the aid of diagrams, describe the effects of alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines on the GABAa receptor. 

Alcohol, barbiturates, and sedative-hypnotics (nonbenzodiazepines) Support vital functions None B3... 

The side effects of barbiturates include sedation, poor physical coordination, and impaired mental performance. They also potentiate the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Barbiturates can be extremely dangerous in overdose, causing anesthesia, coma, and even death. In addition, barbiturates can cause dangerous suppression of breathing in patients with sleep apnea or other respiratory disorders. With repeated use over just a few weeks, physical dependence and tolerance to their effects can develop, leading to increasing doses to maintain the desired therapeutic effect. If a... 

Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder. Numerous medicines and drugs of abuse can produce panic attacks. Panic attacks can be triggered by central nervous system stimulants such as cocaine, methamphetamine, caffeine, over-the-counter herbal stimulants such as ephedra, or any of the medications commonly used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD, including psychostimulants and modafinil. Thyroid supplementation with thyroxine (Synthroid) or triiodothyronine (Cytomel) can rarely produce panic attacks. Abrupt withdrawal from central nervous system depressants such as alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines can cause panic attacks as well. This can be especially problematic with short-acting benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), which is an effective treatment for panic disorder but which has been associated with between dose withdrawal symptoms. 

Drugs that may affect trazodone include carbamazepine, phenothiazines, and venlafaxine. Drugs that may be affected by trazodone include alcohol, barbiturates, CNS depressants, digoxin, MAOIs, phenytoin, and warfarin. 

Unlike benzodiazepines, buspirone is not associated with sedative or abuse problems, but some clinicians have observed that bus-pirone s anxiolytic properties do not appear to be as potent as those of benzodiazepines, particularly in patients who have previously received a benzodiazepine. Because buspirone is not sedating and has no psychomotor effects, it has a distinct advantage over benzodiazepines when optimal alertness and motor performance are necessary. Response to buspirone occurs in approximately 2-4 weeks. Buspirone does not show cross-tolerance with benzodiazepines and other sedative or hypnotic drugs such as alcohol, barbiturates, and chloral hydrate. Therefore, buspirone does not suppress benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. In anxious patients who are taking a benzodiazepine and who require a switch to buspirone, the benzodiazepine must be tapered gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms, despite the fact that the patient is receiving buspirone. 

Fatalities due to acute BZD overdose alone are extremely rare. Nevertheless, fatal overdoses with triazolam in the elderly have been reported ( 192, 193). Even with ingestion of massive doses, recovery appears to be rapid and without serious complications or aftereffects ( 194, 195, 196 and 197). Combined ingestion of BZDs with other CNS depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, narcotics, orTCAs), however, may result in severe CNS and respiratory depression or hypotension. Severity of symptoms appears to depend more on the type and quantity of the other drugs than on the BZD plasma level (194, 195, 196 and 197). 

Kalant, Harold. 1977. "Comparative Aspects of Tolerance to, and Dependence on, Alcohol, Barbiturates, and Opiates." in Alcohol Intoxication and Withdrawal, edited by Milton M. Gross. New York Plenum. 

Amines, amino alcohols, barbiturates, carboxylic acids AGP 12-14, 53... 

Like alcohol, barbiturates are intoxicating. During the stage after mild intoxication, the person s speech may be slurred. The person may stagger and lose muscular control. Other symptoms of intoxication include irritability, shallow breathing, and fatigue. 

Kava. This anti-anxiety herb may react synergisti-cally with (enhancing the effect of) drugs that affect the central nervous system, such as alcohol, barbiturates, or prescribed anti-anxiety drugs. One patient was hospitalized from a reaction between Xanax and kava extract. Herbalists often recommend combinations of kava and St. John s wort to treat anxiety, but the safety of this combination has not been established. 

The respiratory depression induced by morphine can add to that of alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (such as Valium), and even with antihistamines taken for allergies. Combined effects of these drugs with morphine can dangerously compromise breathing. Tricyclic antidepressants can hamper the metabolism of morphine. 

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