Generality
The term "psychotropic" means a substance capable of acting on the psychic functions of the individual.
When, on the other hand, we talk about psychotropic substances, we generally want to indicate illicit substances, whose use and production, sale and holding are absolutely prohibited by law. In these cases, therefore, it can be said that these psychotropic substances alter the normal psychic state of an individual.
Psychotropic drugs
When we talk about psychotropic drugs we want to indicate all those medicines used to normalize the psychic state of the individual, which can be altered by the presence of disorders or pathologies, or following the intake of other substances (such as, for example, substances psychotropic).
The group of psychotropic drugs is quite vast and includes different classes of medicines with the most varied activities.
Below, some characteristics of the main classes of psychotropic drugs currently used in therapy will be briefly illustrated.
Antipsychotic drugs
Antipsychotic drugs - also known as neuroleptic drugs - are used for the treatment of psychosis, ie for the treatment of serious psychiatric conditions, such as:
- Schizophrenia;
- Schizophreniform disorders;
- Schizoaffective disorders;
- Short psychotic disorders and shared psychotic disorders;
- Delusional disorders;
- Substance induced psychotic disorders.
There are several classes of drugs belonging to the antipsychotic family that are still used in the treatment of the aforementioned disorders. These include:
- Phenotiazines with antipsychotic action, such as perphenazine, fluphenazine and prochlorperazine.
- Butyrrophenones, such as droperidol, haloperidol and spiperone.
- Benzamide derivatives, such as sulpiride.
- Benzazepine derivatives, such as quetiapine, clozapine and olanzapine.
Antidepressant drugs
Antidepressant drugs are widely used to treat all those who are considered mood disorders, starting from depression to bipolar disorders .
The antidepressant family is quite large and includes several classes, among which we find:
- Tricyclic antidepressants, such as clomipramine and amitriptyline.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine and paroxetine.
- Norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (NSRIs), such as duloxetine.
- Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NARI), such as reboxetine.
- Dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (DNRI), such as bupropion.
- Modulators of noradrenergic and serotoninergic transmission (NASSA), such as mirtazapine.
- Serotoninergic transmission modulators (SARI), such as trazodone.
- Inhibitors of monoamine oxidases (MAOIs) and selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type A (IMAO-A), as - respectively - phenelzine and moclobemide.
- Mood stabilizers, such as lithium salts, among which lithium carbonate stands out.
Hypnotic Sedative Drugs
Hypnotic sedative drugs are those that are commonly called " sleeping drugs ". The active ingredients belonging to this family of psychotropic substances, in fact, are used in the treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia.
The classes of drugs belonging to the group of hypnotic sedatives, are:
- Barbiturates . However, these drugs are no longer used to treat insomnia, as it is preferred to use more effective and safer active ingredients. Their use is currently limited in the anesthetic field.
- Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, alprazolam, diazepam or flurazepam.
- Z drugs (from the English " Z Drugs ", so called because of the initial of their name), like zolpidem and zopiclone.
Anxiolytic drugs
Anxiolytic drugs are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders . Among the classes of drugs belonging to the group of anxiolytics, we find:
- Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam or alprazolam. These active ingredients, therefore, at the appropriate dosages, have both anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic activity.
- Serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonists, such as buspirone.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and paroxetine. These molecules, in fact - in addition to exerting an antidepressant effect - have also been shown to possess anxiolytic properties.
Psychotropic substances
As mentioned, when we talk about psychotropic substances, we refer to a heterogeneous set of products, whose use is considered illicit. Often these substances are also referred to as drugs for recreational use, therefore referring to that set of substances whose use and production, possession and sale are considered illegal.
Among these substances, we recall:
- Cannabis and derivatives .
- Opium derivatives (such as heroin, methadone, etc.).
- Cocaine and derivatives .
- Amphetamines and derivatives (such as, for example, MDMA, otherwise known as "ecstasy").
- Hallucinogens, such as psilocybin, mescaline or LSD.
Naturally, all these classes of substances act on the psychic functions of the individual, in different ways and with different mechanisms of action, producing, therefore, also effects of different types (for more detailed information on this, we recommend reading the dedicated articles present on this site).
However, in general, the aforementioned groups of psychotropic substances have a common point. What unites them is the fact that they are all capable - in a more or less marked manner - of inducing phenomena of dependence and tolerance (with the exception of the hallucinogens that normally do not cause dependence, but which are capable of generating phenomena of cross-tolerance with others hallucinogens).
