McKenna's Pharmacology for Nursing, 2e

20

Anxiolytic and hypnotic agents

Learning objectives Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Define the states that are affected by anxiolytic or hypnotic agents.

2. Describe therapeutic actions, indications, pharmacokinetics, contraindications, most common adverse reactions and important drug–drug interactions associated with each class of anxiolytic or hypnotic agent. 3. Discuss the use of anxiolytic or hypnotic agents across the lifespan. 4. Compare and contrast the prototype drugs for each class of anxiolytic or hypnotic drug with the other drugs in that class. 5. Outline care considerations and teaching needs for people receiving each class of anxiolytics or hypnotic agent.

Test your current knowledge of anxiolytic and hypnotic agents with a PrepU Practice Quiz!

Glossary of terms anxiety: unpleasant feeling of tension, fear or nervousness in response to an environmental stimulus, whether real or imaginary anxiolytic: drug used to depress the central nervous system (CNS); prevents the signs and symptoms of anxiety barbiturate: former mainstay drug used for the treatment of anxiety and for sedation and sleep induction; associated with potentially severe adverse effects and many drug–drug interactions, which makes it less desirable than some of the newer agents benzodiazepine: drug that acts in the limbic system and the reticular activating system to make gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, more effective, causing interference with neuron firing; depresses CNS to block the signs and symptoms of anxiety, and may cause sedation and hypnosis in higher doses hypnosis: extreme sedation resulting in CNS depression and sleep hypnotic: drug used to depress the CNS; causes sleep sedation: loss of awareness of and reaction to environmental stimuli sedative: drug that depresses the CNS; produces a loss of awareness of and reaction to the environment

BENZODIAZEPINES USED AS ANXIOLYTICS alprazolam bromazepam

BARBITURATES USED AS ANXIOLYTIC-HYPNOTICS phenobarbitone OTHER ANXIOLYTIC AND HYPNOTIC DRUGS buspirone

lorazepam oxazepam temazepam triazolam

chloral hydrate dexmedetomidine promethazine trimeprazine

clobazam diazepam

zopiclone zolpidem