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barbiturate
barbiturate , any one of a group of drugs that act as depressants on the central nervous system . High doses depress both nerve and muscle activity and inhibit oxygen consumption in the tissues. In low doses barbiturates act as sedatives , i.e., they have a tranquilizing effect; increased doses ...
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hypnotic drugs
hypnotic drugs drugs that induce sleep, sometimes called soporifics. In general, hypnotics are central nervous system depressants . Alcohol, laudanum (see opium ), bromide salts, and herbs such as valerian have been used as hypnotics. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed...
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sleeping pill
sleeping pill a pill containing medication that induces sleep. Benzodiazepines such as temazepam (Restoril) and triazolam (Halcion) have for the most part replaced barbiturates as drugs of choice for insomnia. Imidaopyridines, such as zolpidem tartrate, are also sometimes used for short-term tr...
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depressant
depressant any one of various substances that diminish functional activity, usually by depressing the nervous system . Barbiturates , sedatives , alcohol, and meprobamate are all depressants. Depressants have various modes of action and effects. Some are primarily used medically to relieve emo...
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meprobamate
meprobamate , tranquilizing drug that acts as a depressant of the central nervous system and is commonly used in the treatment of anxiety and sometimes schizophrenia . Although meprobamate is chemically unlike barbiturates and has lower toxicity, it has similar pharmacological effects, espe...
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hallucination
hallucination false perception characterized by a distortion of real sensory stimuli. Common types of hallucination are auditory, i.e., hearing voices or noises and visual, i.e., seeing people that are not actually present. Hallucinations play a prominent role in schizophrenia and in the mania st...
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strychnine
strychnine , bitter alkaloid drug derived from the seeds of a tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, native to Sri Lanka, Australia, and India. It has been used as a rat poison for five centuries, and rat biscuits still remain a cause of accidental poisoning in humans. Strychnine is a potent stimulant of the...
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tranquilizer
tranquilizer drug whose action calms the central nervous system , decreasing emotional agitation without impairing alertness. Tranquilizing drugs differ from hypnotic drugs such as barbiturates in that they do not act on the brain's cortical areas but rather on its lower portions, e.g., the hyp...
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sedative
sedative any of a variety of drugs that relieve anxiety. Most sedatives act as mild depressants of the nervous system, lessening general nervous activity or reducing the irritability or activity of a specific organ. Sedatives taken in small quantities are useful in relieving coughing, nausea, or ...
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benzodiazepine
benzodiazepine , any of a class of drugs prescribed for their tranquilizing, antianxiety, sedative, and muscle-relaxing effects. Benzodiazepines are also prescribed for epilepsy and alcohol withdrawal. Introduced in the early 1960s with chlordiazepoxide (Librium), benzodiazepines were heralded as a ...
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