Sedative

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Sedative
Drug class
NOVO-SED sedative in pills. Significantly cheaper analogue of Novo-Passit® (Novo-Passit®)
Clinical data
Drugs.com	Drug Classes
External links
MeSH	D006993
Legal status
In Wikidata

A sedative or tranquilliser

Sedatives can be used to produce an overly-calming effect (alcohol being the most common sedating drug). In the event of an overdose or if combined with another sedative, many of these drugs can cause deep unconsciousness and even death.

Terminology

There is some overlap between the terms "sedative" and "hypnotic".

Advances in pharmacology have permitted more specific targeting of receptors, and greater selectivity of agents, which necessitates greater precision when describing these agents and their effects:

• benzodiazepines
  can be all three: sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics).
• Tranquilizer can refer to anxiolytics or antipsychotics
  .
• Soporific and sleeping pill are near-synonyms for hypnotics
  .

The term "chemical cosh" (a club) is sometimes used popularly for a strong sedative, particularly for:

• widespread dispensation of antipsychotic drugs in residential care to make people with dementia easier to manage.^[5]
• use of methylphenidate to calm children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, though paradoxically this drug is known to be a stimulant.
  • See also Antipsychotic controversy

Types of sedatives

Therapeutic use

Some sedatives can cause psychological and physical dependence when taken regularly over a period of time, even at therapeutic doses.[6]^[7][8][9] Dependent users may get withdrawal symptoms ranging from restlessness and insomnia to convulsions and death. When users become psychologically dependent, they feel as if they need the drug to function, although physical dependence does not necessarily occur, particularly with a short course of use. In both types of dependences, finding and using the sedative becomes the focus in life. Both physical and psychological dependence can be treated with therapy.^{[citation needed]}

Misuse

Many sedatives can be misused, but barbiturates and benzodiazepines are responsible for most of the problems with sedative use due to their widespread recreational or non-medical use. People who have difficulty dealing with stress, anxiety or sleeplessness may overuse or become dependent on sedatives. Some

A study from the United States found that in 2011, sedatives and hypnotics were a leading source of adverse drug events (ADEs) seen in the hospital setting: Approximately 2.8% of all ADEs present on admission and 4.4% of ADEs that originated during a hospital stay were caused by a sedative or hypnotic drug.^[10] A second study noted that a total of 70,982 sedative exposures were reported to U.S. poison control centers in 1998, of which 2310 (3.2%) resulted in major toxicity and 89 (0.1%) resulted in death. About half of all the people admitted to emergency rooms in the U.S. as a result of nonmedical use of sedatives have a legitimate prescription for the drug, but have taken an excessive dose or combined it with alcohol or other drugs.^[11]

There are also serious

Sedatives and alcohol are sometimes combined recreationally or carelessly. Since alcohol is a strong depressant that slows brain function and depresses respiration, the two substances compound each other's actions and this combination can prove fatal.

Worsening of psychiatric symptoms

The long-term use of benzodiazepines may have a similar effect on the brain as

Sedatives can sometimes leave the patient with long-term or short-term amnesia. Lorazepam is one such pharmacological agent that can cause anterograde amnesia. Intensive care unit patients who receive higher doses over longer periods, typically via IV drip, are more likely to experience such side effects. Additionally, the prolonged use of tranquilizers increases the risk of obsessive and compulsive disorder, where the person becomes unaware whether he has performed a scheduled activity or not, he may also repetitively perform tasks and still re-performs the same task trying to make-up for continuous doubts. Remembering names that were earlier known becomes an issue such that the memory loss becomes apparent.

Disinhibition and crime

Sedatives — most commonly

Statistical overviews suggest that the use of sedative-spiked drinks for robbing people is actually much more common than their use for rape.[27] Cases of criminals taking rohypnol themselves before they commit crimes have also been reported,^{[citation needed]} as the loss of inhibitions from the drug may increase their confidence to commit the offence, and the amnesia produced by the drug makes it difficult for police to interrogate them if they are caught.

See also

• Hypnotic
• Antidepressants
• Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome
• Tranquilizer gun
• Somnifacient

Notes

References