Showing papers on "Psychotropic drug published in 1976"
TL;DR: Eyeblink frequency appears to be a sensitive indicator of distraction--arousal processes and a potentially useful measure of disturbed psychological functioning and the finding in control conditions of lower CNV amplitude in frontal than in central and posterior recording sites was viewed as a distraction effect.
110 citations
TL;DR: The use of psychotropic drugs has been well documented in early post-contact times as mentioned in this paper, including the use of peyote, Lophophora williamsi, Sophora secundiflora, and mescal beans.
Abstract: In the context of this paper, northeastern Mexico refers primarily to the state of Coahuila and immediately adjacent portions of Chihuahua on the west and Nuevo Leon on the south and east. Trans-Pecos Texas herein refers to that portion of the state of Texas west of the Pecos River. The term psychotropic drug collectively designates those agents whose ingestion results in an altered state of consciousness including specifically hallucinations and euphoria. Within the arid area noted above, the use of psychotropic drugs is well documented in early post-contact times. The aboriginal Coahuiltecan speakers of this region were using both peyote, Lophophora williamsi, and the so-called "red" or "mescal bean," Sophora secundiflora at first European contact (La Barre 1938, 1969). Both plants were also used extensively by the Tamaulipecans and Tarahumari of the northern and northeastern deserts (La Barre 1938, 1969). The earliest reference to the use of the red bean from the area under discussion is Cabeza de Vaca's report of 1539 (Schultes 1963), while early references to peyote are many. Though the Pre-Columbian use of psychotropic agents has long been known and a considerable time depth postulated, until quite recently no exact dates were available on the antiquity of this practice. Recently, however, a series of well dated archaeological sites from northeastern Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas have demonstrated that the use of psychotropic drugs extends back to the ninth millennium B. C. Moreover, as will be shown, the evidence further indicates an evolutionary development
38 citations
TL;DR: The neurological examination (PANESS) included in the group of instruments recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health for psychotropic drug studies in children should be regarded as experimental rather than definitive.
Abstract: Twenty-one children, mean age of 8 years, were each examined on separate occasions by two pediatric residents, blind to diagnosis, using the neurological examination (PANESS) included in the group of instruments recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health for psychotropic drug studies in children. Half the children were hyperactive/aggressive, one quarter were normal, and one quarter had histories or signs strongly presumptive of brain damage. Many of the signs, though reliable, did not occur in the majority of children. Examiners did achieve a high level of agreement about global neurological status. It was concluded that the neurological examination probably contains a substantial number of non-contributory items and should be regarded as experimental rather than definitive.
38 citations
TL;DR: The present experiments show that psychoactive drugs can exert a different effect in relation to the different kinds of animal behaviour used in the experiments, and the investigation of the properties of psychoactive compounds is suggested as being more fruitful in providing much information closer to the clinical results than that achieved with the experiments performed in normal laboratory animals.
Abstract: Several so-called ‘non-specific’ or ‘non-drug’ factors are known to interfere with the response to psychotropic drug administration. Animal emotionality has been reported to change the outcome of psychoactive drug administration, so that the response to a stimulant or depressant drug may considerably change according to the baseline state of activity of the central nervous system. Prolonged socio-environmental deprivation or isolation has been shown to produce in rats three different types of abnormal behaviour which have been tentatively defined as ‘friendly’, ‘indifferent’ and ‘muricide’. Such unusual changes in rat behaviour are assumed to reflect a series of different emotional changes. The present experiments show that psychoactive drugs can exert a different effect in relation to the different kinds of animal behaviour used in the experiments. The investigation of the properties of psychoactive compounds, as performed in experimental animals showing behavioural alterations, is then suggested as being more fruitful in providing much information closer to the clinical results than that achieved with the experiments performed in normal laboratory animals.
34 citations
TL;DR: White females were the most likely to have used a psychotrope at some time in their lives although these medications were more likely to be taken episodically by this group than by blacks, the elderly and the poor, who tended to be frequent users once the drug was prescribed.
Abstract: This paper presents data on the prevelance of drug use among 1633 randomly selected respondents living in the southeastern United States. The general use of a wide variety of drugs including vitamins, birth control pills, and medications prescribed for specific physical illnesses are reported with a specific focus on the prevalence and frequency of alcohol and psychotropic drug usage. The analysis presents the findings controlled for race, sex, age, and socioeconomic factors.It was found that 53.3% of the sample were taking some kind of drug at the time of interview. Of the total sample, 26.6% were taking non-prescription drugs, 28.8% were using drugs prescribed for some specific somatic illness, 10.6% were taking drugs usually classified as psychotropic, and 14.0% reported taking drugs which could not be positively identified (and therefore were labelled undifferentiated). Many of these persons were multiple users. Also, approximately two-thirds of the sample indicated they had drunk alcohol at some time...
24 citations
TL;DR: This is the first report of induction of haploidization in Aspergillus nidulans by chloral hydrate, which is an efficient polyploidizing agent for higher plants and a psychotropic drug for man.
Abstract: This is the first report of induction of haploidization inAspergillus nidulans by chloral hydrate, which is an efficient polyploidizing agent for higher plants and a psychotropic drug for man. A new procedure has been described to isolate haploids from diploids with a very high frequency, as compared top-fluorophenylalanine, which is generally used for this purpose.
24 citations
TL;DR: Interesting relationships were observed between amphetamine initial rate of entry into the blood stream and both incidence of side effects (S.E.) and rise in arterial blood pressure.
Abstract: Following an integrated approach based on the contemporary recording of drug plasma levels, central (CNS) and peripheral responses and performance tests, the effects of two different amphetamine formulations were evaluated in healthy volunteers.
16 citations
15 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that clinical pharmacists trained in psychotropic drug therapy may be competent to manage this therapy of patients in mental health institutions, as patients receiving this therapy in nonpsychiatric facilities and in ambulatory environments are being served by physicians, nurses and pharmacists whose knowledge of psychotropic Drug Therapy may be inadequate.
Abstract: The psychotropic drug therapy knowledge of eight types of health care practitioners was studied. An examination, dealing with case studies of schizophrenia, depression and mania, was developed. The categories of practitioners were: (1) clinical pharmacists in psychiatric practice, (2) psychiatrists, (3) physicians (nonpsychiatrists), (4) hospital pharmacists in mental health institutions, (5) hospital pharmacists in nonmental health institutions, (6) community pharmacists, (7) nurses in mental health institutions, and (8) nurses in nonmental health institutions. The specific areas of drug knowledge tested were: diagnosis; drug selection; side effects; adverse reactions; monitoring parameters; influence of other disease states; drug-drug interactions; drug-laboratory test interactions; and clinical drug judgment. Clinical pharmacists in psychiatric practice and psychiatrists had the highest scores, and the scores of these two groups were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Nurses practicing in nonmental health institutions had the lowest scores. The results suggested that clinical pharmacists trained in psychotropic drug therapy may be competent to manage this therapy of patients in mental health institutions. Patients receiving this therapy in nonpsychiatric facilities and in ambulatory environments are being served by physicians, nurses and pharmacists whose knowledge of psychotropic drug therapy may be inadequate.
10 citations
TL;DR: Nomifensin (Hoechst 36984), a synthetic psychotropic drug whose structure differs from MAO inhibitors and tricyclics, was studied in a double blind comparative trial with desimipramine in patients with various depressive syndromes.
Abstract: The effect of nomifensin (Hoechst 36984), a synthetic psychotropic drug whose structure differs from MAO inhibitors and tricyclics, was studied in a double blind comparative trial with desimipramine in patients with various depressive syndromes. Forty-three patients (23 in the nomifensin group and 20 in the desimipramine group) were studied for 6 weeks. Clinical follow-up was done with the Wittenborn scale (WPRS), Hamilton's rating scale for depression (HRS), Zung's scale (SDS), and the PEN inventory. The average daily dose was nomifensin 84 mg and desimipramine 76 mg. Changes in HRS, WPRS and SDS showed statistically significant improvement with both treatments. A moderate anxiolytic effect was found in the nomifensin group, whereas medication had to be discontinued in two desimipramine-treated patients because of its drive-enhancing effect. Urinary phenylethylamine excretion rose in 2 out of 8 patients after 5 weeks of treatment with nomifensin.
9 citations
TL;DR: The ability of mepiprazole to increase 5-HT concentration at the receptor level by a combination of neuronal uptake inhibition and release is discussed in relationship to the central actions of the drug.
Abstract: The influence of mepiprazole (EMD 16,923), a new pyrazol-ylalkyl-piperazine derivative, on the uptake of 3H-norepinephrine (NE), 3H-dopamine (DA), and 3H-serotonin (5-HT) into rat brain synaptosomes from cerebral cortex, corpus striatum, and hypothalamus was investigated in comparison with several psychotropic drugs, including oxypertine, d-amphetamine, imipramine, desipramine, chlorimipramine, amitriptyline, and chlorpromazine in vitro. Mepiprazole was a relatively weak inhibitor of monoamine uptake and exhibited its strongest action on the hypothalamic 5-HT uptake, being almost equipotent with desipramine (IC50=0.9 μM). Furthermore, the influence of the drugs on the retention of 3H-amines previously taken up by whole rat brain synaptosomes was studied. Unlike the tricyclic antidepressants, mepiprazole as well as oxypertine and d-amphetamine markedly increased the efflux of radioactivity during a 20-min incubation at 37°C at low concentrations (10−6 to 10−5 M), whereas at 10−4M all drugs greatly enhanced the efflux. The ability of mepiprazole to increase 5-HT concentration at the receptor level by a combination of neuronal uptake inhibition and release is discussed in relationship to the central actions of the drug.
TL;DR: Accidental psychotropic drug poisoning is not a major source of childhood morbidity and referral of serious poisoning cases to another hospital may have biased the results.
Abstract: • Seventy-seven (0.24%) of 32,005 admissions to the Massachusetts General Hospital pediatric service during the period 1962 to 1973 were due to accidental poisoning. In 27 cases, mostly involving children less than 6 years of age, psychotropic drugs were implicated. These included sedative-hypnotics in six cases, phenytoin in two, major tranquilizers in five, antidepressants in three, stimulants or hallucinogens in three, and drug mixtures in eight. Toxicologic analyses contributed little to diagnosis and initial management. Except for one child who ingested ferrous sulfate, no patient was seriously intoxicated, and all recovered rapidly without sequelae. Although referral of serious poisoning cases to another hospital may have biased the results, the findings suggest that accidental psychotropic drug poisoning is not a major source of childhood morbidity. ( Am J Dis Child 130:507-511, 1976)
TL;DR: Informed clinicians require an understanding of whether psychotropic drugs can provide symptomatic benefit for their medically ill patients" with emotional distress", and whether the response to the psychotropic agent can be affected by characteristics of the patient and the disease state.
Abstract: It is no surprise that psychotropic drugs are commonly administered to patients with medical diseases (1, 2). First, non psychiatrist physicians often encounter emo tional discomfort in their patients with medical diseases. Surveys performed in the Unites States (3-7) and elsewhere (8-10) suggest that a high percentage of ambula tory individuals with medical disorders receive psychotropic drugs because of anxi ety or insomnia. Studies of drug dispensing patterns (9, 11, 12) indicate that the majority of psychotropic drug prescriptions are written by general practitioners, internists, and surgeons. Well over 50% of hospitalized medical patients receive pharmacotherapy for anxiety or insomnia (13-15). Second, a number of individuals with primary emotional disorders-particularly the elderly-have coincident medi cal diseases. Finally, in some medical disorders or syndromes, such as intractable hiccups or severe nausea and vomiting, a psychotropic drug (i.e. a phenothiazine) may constitute a treatment of choice (16). This pharmacologic interface of medicine and psychiatry is of considerable impor tance. Informed clinicians require an understanding of whether psychotropic drugs can provide symptomatic benefit for their medically ill patients" with emotional distress. They should also understand whether the psychotropic drugs they adminis ter can influence the clinical course of the medical dise�se and, conversely, whether the response to the psychotropic agent can be affected by characteristics of the patient and the disease state. This article focuses upon such considerations.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It is considered that obesity, the pathogenetic cause of which is attributed to the action of psychotropic drugs, constitutes a serious disadvantageous side-effect of those drugs, since a large number of mental patients discontinue their drug therapy for the reasons that it is responsible for the increase in their body weight.
Abstract: The purpose of this brief work is to study and make a general survey of the problem of obesity as related in whatever way, to the use of psychotropic drugs. It is a fact learned through clinical experience and knowledge by clinics and researchers working in the field of psychotropic drugs that patients subjected to extended therapy with such drugs show, in a considerable number of cases, an increase in body weight. We consider that this obesity, the pathogenetic cause of which is attributed to the action of psychotropic drugs, constitutes a serious disadvantageous side-effect of those drugs, since a large number of mental patients discontinue their drug therapy for the reasons that it is responsible for the increase in their body weight. It is a known fact discontinuation of the psychotropic drug treatment generally results in a relapse of their mental disorder.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The problem of ethanol interactions with psychotropic drugs involves various factors whose complex action is examined in this article, and one should be aware that the personality of the patient is perhaps more important than the consumption of drugs, at least as regards to the factors of risk in traffic accidents.
Abstract: The problem of ethanol interactions with psychotropic drugs involves various factors whose complex action is examined in this article. Great care should be taken with regard to the alcohol consumption among patients treated with sedatives; the depressive action of ethanol on the central nervous system could be potentiated especially at the beginning of the treatment, as it seems that a certain habituation to the interactions may exist. However, one should be aware that the personality of the patient is perhaps more important to take into account that the consumption of drugs, at least as regards to the factors of risk in traffic accidents. Parallel to the interactions involving the receptors of the central nervous system, metabolic interactions are possible, however more difficult to describe: they affect drugs absorption, their hepatic metabolism and seem to act especially in chronic alcoholism or during barbiturates consumption.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The use of sulpirid in psychiatry allows to delineate three types of activity of this compound which originality consists most in this triple association: neuroleptic activity, anticonfusional and antidepressive as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The use of sulpirid in psychiatry allows to delineate three types of activity of this compound which originality consists most in this triple association: neuroleptic activity, as well as anticonfusional and antidepressive. The psychodynamic and phenomenological evaluation of patients receiving a sulpirid treatment, has led us to consider the process of "psychic decompensation" as a target variable particularly sensitive to the action of this psychotropic drug. This process can be found in various pathological states--acute delirious states, depressive episodes, anxiety, autism, stress situation--where sulpirid acts, beside its specific thymoanaleptic or neuroleptic properties, through a "aspecific recompensation activity". This translates, psychopathologically, the action of sulpirid on the vegetative brain as well as the anti-stress properties of this psychrotropic drug, as verified in animal experiment.
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TL;DR: Psychotropic drug treatment of persons on methadone maintenance and four case histories are presented, finding psychotropic drugs are unlikely to be of aid in multiple drug abusers, personality and character disorders, and opioid withdrawal.
Abstract: Psychotropic drug treatment of persons on methadone maintenance is discussed Patients with clear target symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or psychosis responded just as non-opioid addicts would to the major psychotropic agents The minor tranquilizers are felt to be of doubtful value, and subject to abuse Sleep disturbances cannot be treated by the usual means, as the drugs needed again are abused However, chlorpromazine shows some promise here Methods of drug delivery and goals of treatment must be adapted to the realities of this patient-group's characteristics, particularly anti-social traits, poor motivation and unreliability Psychotropic drugs are unlikely to be of aid in multiple drug abusers, personality and character disorders, and opioid withdrawal Four case histories are presented
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TL;DR: Sulpiride a psychotropic drug was prescribed to 116 women for contraception in patients for whom oral contraceptives were contraindicated or not well tolerated or primarily for psychiatric disorders and secondarily for contraception, or for psychiatric indications only.
Abstract: Sulpiride a psychotropic drug was prescribed to 116 women for 1-36 months (mean 8.5) for contraception in patients for whom oral contraceptives were contraindicated (67) or not well tolerated (14) or primarily for psychiatric disorders and secondarily for contraception (38) or for psychiatric indications only (7). Doses ranged from 50 to 800 mg usually 100 or 200 mg daily. Surveillance was divided into the observation phase with basal temperature curves and pregnenediol vaginal smear or endometrial biopsy as needed until an ovulation was confirmed and the security phase after 60 days of a flat temperature curve when amenorrhea usually persisted. Of 122 pregnenediol assays 128 vaginal smears and 39 endometrial biopsies 16 possible ovulations occurred in 11 women during observation and 2 during the security phase. There was 1 pregnancy in a woman who had been anovulatory for 6 months but halved her dosage to 50 mg. To induce withdrawal bleeding every 2 or 3 months chlormadinone acetate 2 mg and ethinyl estradiol 50 mcg was prescribed 2 times daily for 5 days. The side effects were stupor for the 1st few days sleepiness in 20% sedation in 43 cases spontaneous galactorrhea in 25 cases induced galactorrhea in all but 4 patients (considered a criterion of anovulation) weight gain of 3 kg in 23 cases failure of further weight loss in 10 patients on reducing diets vein disorders in 9 menstrual irregularity in 34 persistent amenorrhea after stopping in 5 and transient loss of libido in 2.