What does the text identify as a major complicating factor in understanding the effects of psychoactive drugs?
Explanation
This question gets at a core challenge in pharmacology: the lack of 'magic bullets.' Because drugs are not perfectly targeted, they often cause a range of effects beyond the desired one, complicating treatment.
Other questions
What is the study of how drugs affect behavior, the brain, and the nervous system called?
What is the primary mechanism by which virtually all psychoactive drugs alter a person's feelings or thoughts?
What is the term for a drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effect at the synapse?
Which drug is listed as an antagonist for dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) receptors, and is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
What does the 'M' in the acronym ADME, used in pharmacokinetics, stand for?
Which two routes of drug administration are mentioned as being the most rapid, capable of getting a drug to the brain in less than 10 seconds?
According to the text, why does a drug that reaches the brain very quickly have a high risk for abuse and addiction?
What is the term for the process where repeated exposure to a drug like alcohol leads to an increase in the liver enzymes that break it down, requiring more of the drug to achieve the same effect?
How does grapefruit juice interact with the metabolism of certain psychotropic drugs?
Which of the following is NOT one of the four categories of drug metabolizers based on genetic differences in cytochrome P450 enzymes?
What is the likely outcome for a 'poor metabolizer' who is prescribed a standard daily dose of an antidepressant?
According to a recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report mentioned in the text, what fraction of children between the ages of 5 and 17 may have some type of mental disorder?
The text states that the incidence of which disorder in children and adolescents has increased 40 times in the past decade?
What is the primary concern scientists have regarding the use of psychotropic drugs in children and adolescents?
What is the term used to describe the use of multiple drugs, a practice very common in elderly populations?
By 2030, what percentage of all prescribed medications in the U.S. is it estimated that people aged 65 or older will consume?
Why are typical clinical trials for psychotropic drugs often problematic for interpreting results for an elderly population?
What happens to the metabolism of drugs in elderly populations, and what is a potential consequence?
Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with reward circuits and is implicated in the action of psychostimulants like amphetamine?
What does the term 'pharmacokinetics' refer to?
Which route of drug administration is described as being the most dangerous due to the very little time available to administer an antidote in case of an adverse reaction?
What is 'metabolic tolerance'?
Besides depression, fluvoxamine (Luvox) is used to treat which other condition, according to the text?
What is the primary goal of the individualized treatment approach involving genetic testing for cytochrome P450 enzymes?
In the context of drug actions, what is a synapse?
What is the primary organ in the body responsible for drug metabolism?
Which category of drug metabolizer breaks down drugs more slowly than extensive metabolizers but faster than poor metabolizers?
What is one of the greatest risk factors for elderly populations mentioned in the text that can be exacerbated by psychotropic drug side effects like dizziness?
Besides dizziness, what other negative effect on the body can psychotropic medications have in older adults, worsening the consequences of a fall?
Which drug is listed in Table 2 as an agonist for Acetylcholine (ACh) and is used to treat Alzheimer's disease?
The text mentions that cues associated with drug use, such as a pipe for a crack user, can cause craving and lead to relapse. Why is this considered much more difficult for a cigarette smoker to avoid?
What is a psychotropic drug?
What is the key difference between a psychotropic drug and a psychoactive drug, as defined in the vocabulary section?
According to the text, why might pharmacotherapy combined with psychological therapy be the most beneficial treatment approach for many psychiatric conditions?
What is the primary reason that it is important to realize that most psychoactive drugs have effects on multiple neurotransmitters?
Which neurotransmitter is described in Table 1 as the 'Major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain'?
Revia (naltrexone) is listed as an antagonist for which type of receptor?
Why do antidepressants often take 4 to 6 weeks to start improving symptoms?
Which of the following is an example of an agonist drug action as described in Table 2?
What does the 'A' in the pharmacokinetics acronym ADME stand for?
Which drug from Table 2 is used to treat ADHD and works by blocking the removal of DA and NE from the synapse?
According to the text, what is the most common route of drug administration?
The text mentions that a CDC report estimates that 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with what disorder?
According to the text, which is the only group of psychotropic drugs for which there is well-established clinical data on effectiveness in children and adolescents?
What is the primary function of endogenous opioids, such as endorphins, according to Table 1?
In what way can foods, other than grapefruit juice, affect oral drug administration?
Which neurotransmitter is linked in Table 1 to both depression and arousal?
What is the definition of an enzyme as provided in the chapter's vocabulary?
Why might a doctor prescribe additional drugs to a patient who has already been prescribed one psychotropic drug?