Psychotropic drugs, also known simply as psychotropic drugs, are a special group of drugs used to treat mental disorders. The group is quite broad, so that specific medicines can be tailored to the specific case and thus be more successful in the treatment process. The biggest problem with taking such medicines, however, is the perception by the society, which still generally reacts badly to the information that someone is mentally ill. It is therefore worthwhile to learn as much as possible about psychotropic drugs in order not to duplicate false information and negative beliefs about them!
Psychotropic drugs - what exactly are they?
Psychotropic drugs are helpful in treating mental disorders. They reach the brain with blood and can cause different reactions depending on what the person is suffering from and what effect they want to achieve in their behaviour. These are prescription-only medicines that need to be matched to the specific case by a psychiatrist. The most commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs are antidepressants. Some people do not associate these two names with one group of drugs, but the truth is that everything that affects the human brain is a psychotropic. What is interesting, however, psychotropic drugs also include memory enhancing drugs! Psychotropic drugs - what types of drugs we distinguish? Psychotropic drugs are divided into different groups.
The Swiss division divides them into..:
- sleeping bags
- antiepileptic
- stimulant
- painkillers.
Psychotropic drugs are more narrowly divided into..:
- neuroleptics
- tymoleptic
- anxiolytic.
Among psychotropic drugs we can also distinguish dynamic (nootropic), procognitive (memory) and normotymic (mood stabilizing) drugs. The most commonly used antidepressants are non-selective noradrenaline and serotonin uptake inhibitors, i.e. tricyclic antidepressants. There are also selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Psychotropic drugs - how do they work?
Every body has to get used to taking psychotropic drugs first. They will not work immediately - it is necessary to take a few doses or even wait a few weeks to see the effects of treatment. Sometimes there are some side effects, but if they are not very severe, treatment usually continues. It is worth to report them to the doctor, but usually their occurrence is completely natural and passes when the patient's body gets used to them. This is also why you should not stop taking medication at once - you should do it gradually. The organism must similarly dissociate itself from their use. The exact function of psychotropic drugs depends on the purpose of their use and their specific type. Some have a stimulating effect, others a calming effect - it all depends on the specific case.
