Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Open Access

Role of Psychoactive Drugs on Mental Health

Mohammad Mehdi^{* *}Correspondence: Mohammad Mehdi, Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Manipal University, Karnataka, India, Email:

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Description

A drug is a chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from `food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, and ingestion, absorption via a patch on the skin, suppository, or dissolution under the tongue.

In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance, typically of known structure, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. A pharmaceutical drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being. Traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from medicinal plants, but more recently also by organic synthesis. Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders. Psychoactive medications are substances that can modify a person's consciousness, emotions, or thoughts. Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin are examples. Depressants, such as alcohol and sleeping pills, are classified as psychoactive drugs, as are stimulants, such as nicotine and ecstasy, opioids, such as heroin and pain relievers, and hallucinogens, such as LSD.

Classes of drugs

Psychoactive medicines are classified into several groups based on their pharmacological effects. Below are several classifications of medications, as well as samples of commonly used drugs in each class. Stimulants are medications that promote alertness and wakefulness by stimulating the brain. Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines like Adderall are examples of stimulants.

• Depressants are medications that relax the brain, lessen anxious feelings, and promote sleepiness. Ethanol (found in alcoholic beverages) and opioids like codeine and heroin are examples of depressants.

• Anxiolytics are anti-anxiety medications that have a calming effect. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), barbiturates, such as phenobarbital, opioids, and antidepressants, such as sertraline, are examples of anxiolytic medications (Zoloft).

• Euphoriants are chemicals that induce euphoria, which is characterised by great emotions of well-being and happiness. The so-called club drug MDMA (ecstasy), amphetamines, ethanol, and opioids like morphine are all examples of euphoriants.

• Hallucinogens are medications that create hallucinations and other abnormal perceptions. Subjective alterations in ideas, emotions, and consciousness are also caused by them. LSD, mescaline, nitrous oxide, and psilocybin are examples of hallucinogens.

• Empathogens are medications that cause people to experience empathy or pity for others. Amphetamines and MDMA are examples of empathogens.

Mechanism

Psychoactive medications usually work by altering brain chemistry, which can result in changes in a person's mood, thinking, perception, and/or behaviour. Each medicine acts on one or more neurotransmitters or neurotransmitter receptors in the brain in a specific way. They are either agonists or antagonists in most cases. Agonists are medications that boost the action of specific neurotransmitters. They may work by boosting neurotransmitter synthesis, inhibiting their reuptake from synapses, or mimicking their effect by binding to neurotransmitter receptors. Antagonists are medications that inhibit the activity of specific neurotransmitters. They may function by interfering with neurotransmitter synthesis or by inhibiting neurotransmitter receptors, preventing neurotransmitters from binding to them.

Effects

The primary negative consequences of substance abuse can be grouped into four categories; there are the long-term health consequences. This includes liver cirrhosis and a variety of other chronic illnesses in the case of alcohol, and lung cancer, emphysema, and other chronic illnesses in the case of tobacco in the form of cigarettes. In many countries, heroin injection is a major vector for the transmission of infectious agents such as HIV and hepatitis B and C virus due to the sharing of needles. Second, there are the substances acute or short-term biological health impacts. Overdose is dangerous with medications like opiates and alcohol.

Medical uses

General anesthesia is in which pain is prevented and unconsciousness, this is one of the medical uses of psychoactive substances. General anesthetics are most commonly used during surgical procedures and can be given as a gas. Halothane and ketamine are examples of general anesthetics. Other psychoactive substances that do not impact awareness are used to manage pain. They can be used to treat acute pain, such as that caused by broken bones, or chronic pain, such as that caused by arthritis, cancer, or fibromyalgia. Opioids, such as morphine and codeine, are the most commonly used pain relievers. Psychoactive medications are also used to treat a variety of psychiatric diseases. Antidepressants like sertraline, for example, are used to treat depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are treated with antipsychotics like clozapine and risperidone, as well as stabilizers like lithium.