Glossary
Addiction: A chronic, relapsing disease, characterized
by compulsive drug seeking and use and by neurochemical and molecular
changes in the brain.
Barbiturate: A type of central nervous system (CNS) depressant
often prescribed to promote sleep.
Benzodiazepine: A type of CNS depressant prescribed to
relieve anxiety; among the most widely prescribed medications,
including Valium and Librium.
Buprenorphine: A new medication awaiting FDA approval
for treatment of opioid addiction. It blocks the effects of opioids
on the brain.
Central nervous system (CNS): The brain and spinal cord.
CNS depressants: A class of drugs that slow CNS function,
some of which are used to treat anxiety and sleeping disorders;
includes barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
Detoxification: A process that allows the body to rid
itself of a drug while at the same time managing the individual's
symptoms of withdrawal; often the first step in a drug treatment
program.
Dopamine: A neurotransmitter present in regions of the
brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings
of pleasure.
LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol): An approved medication
for the treatment of opioid addiction, taken 3 to 4 times a week.
Methadone: A long-acting synthetic medication that is
effective in treating opioid addiction.
Narcolepsy: A disorder characterized by uncontrollable
episodes of deep sleep.
Norepinephrine: A neurotransmitter present in some areas
of the brain and the adrenal glands; decreases smooth muscle contraction
and increases heart rate; often released in response to low blood
pressure or stress.
Opioids: Controlled drugs or narcotics most often prescribed
for the management of pain; natural or synthetic chemicals based
on opium's active component - morphine - that work by mimicking
the actions of pain-relieving chemicals produced in the body.
Opiophobia: A health care provider's unfounded fear that
patients will become physically dependent upon or addicted to
opioids even when using them appropriately; can lead to the underprescribing
of opioids for pain management.
Physical dependence: An adaptive physiological state that
can occur with regular drug use and results in withdrawal when
drug use is discontinued.
Polydrug abuse: The abuse of two or more drugs at the
same time, such as CNS depressant abuse accompanied by abuse of
alcohol.
Prescription drug abuse: The intentional misuse of a medication
outside of the normally accepted standards of its use.
Prescription drug misuse: Taking a medication in a manner
other than that prescribed or for a different condition than that
for which the medication is prescribed.
Psychotherapeutics: Drugs that have an effect on the function
of the brain and that often are used to treat psychiatric disorders;
can include opioids, CNS depressants, and stimulants.
Respiratory depression: Depression of respiration (breathing)
that results in the reduced availability of oxygen to vital organs.
Stimulants: Drugs that enhance the activity of the brain
and lead to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration;
used to treat only a few disorders, such as narcolepsy and attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder.
Tolerance: A condition in which higher doses of a drug
are required to produce the same effect as experienced initially.
Tranquilizers: Drugs prescribed to promote sleep or reduce
anxiety; this National Household Survey on Drug Abuse classification
includes benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and other types of CNS
depressants.
Withdrawal: A variety of symptoms that occur after chronic
use of some drugs is reduced or stopped.
References
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