Psychotomimetic
A drug with psychotomimetic actions mimics the symptoms of psychosis, including delusions and/or hallucinations. Some drugs of the opioid class have psychotomimetic effects such as pentazocine and butorphanol.[1]
Carl Sagan also used the word psychotomimetic in his anonymous article "Mr.X" to describe the effects of the herb marijuana. There is evidence that cannabinoids, the active substance in marijuana, are psychotomimetic,[2] though this conclusion is not accepted by many.[3]
Psychotomimetic drugs (also referred to as psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs) affect thought, perception and mood, without causing marked psychomotor stimulation or depression. Thoughts and understanding of the surroundings and self tend to become dreamlike and distorted, rather than being merely sharpened or dulled and the changes are more complex than a mere shift towards depression or euphoria. The categorization of these drugs is complex and it is often hard to draw a line between the effects of depressants (e.g. opioids, ethanol), stimulants (e.g. cocaine and amphetamine)and those of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), phencyclidine or cannabis. The main difference between psychotomimetics and other drugs that can cause similar effects is considered to be the indirect peripheral action of psychotomimetics. Sweating, tachycardia, hyperthermia, sleepiness and euphoria are mainly produced indirectly and can vary greatly among the subjects, rather than directly by the action of the drug as is the case with alcohol and amphetamine. The main two groups of psychotomimetic drugs are as follows:
- Drugs that resemble known neurotransmitters and mimic, antagonize or reverse some of their effects. These include LSD and psilocybin, which resemble 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT a.k.a. serotonin). MDMA (ecstasy) and mescaline are also related to amphetamine and resemble noradrenaline.
- Drugs that are unrelated to known neurotransmitters but nonetheless antagonize the NMDA receptor, e.g. phencyclidine and ketamine.[4]
See also
- Hallucinogen
- Opioid
- Psychedelic
- Psychotherapy
- LSD
- Psilocybine
- Ketamine
- Phencyclidine
- Mescaline
- MDMA
- Serotonin
- Neurotransmitter
References
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag;
parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." />
 |
This pharmacology-related article is a stub. You can help ssf by expanding it. |
- ↑ Musacchio JM. The psychotomimetic effects of opiates and the sigma receptor. Neuropsychopharmacology 1990 Jun 3,(3):191-200
- ↑ Sewell, R. A., Ranganathan, M., & D'Souza, D. C. (2009). Cannabinoids and psychosis. International Review of Psychiatry, 21(2), 152-162.
- ↑ http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj028.htm
- ↑ H.P. Rang & M.M. Dale. Pharmacology 5th edition 2003: p.591
