ME4TM - Neuropharmacology for the Layman

A-1. Introduction stuff: Read this before reading the rest of the book... it'll make your life a LOT easier. FAQs, lingo used in the meds world, and about my sources and citations

A-2. Basic Neurobiology: Yeah, you gotta read this one too. Includes your CNS (central nervous system), genes/proteins, neurons/synapses, and the importance of the synapse in CNS meds. Not as boring as it looks, though... I promise!

B-1. Some neurotransmitters: The monoamines (serotonin/5-HT, norepinephrine/NE, and dopamine/DA), (and some acetylcholine/Ach thrown in for fun!), their receptors, and how they can change your biology and psychology. (FULL TEXT IS PARTIALLY AVAILABLE NOW!)

B-2. Antidepressants: Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Selective Serotonin and/or Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SSNRIs; SNRIs), "Atypical" antidepressants; serotonin blockers, Tricyclic antidepressants, MAOI antidepressants, et al. (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

B-3. Antipsychotics: Not just for the insane; how they work and wreak havoc (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

B-4. Stimulants: for AD/HD and narcolepsy (and sometimes for weight loss) (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

B-5. Special focus on potentially deadly risks associated with the psychiatric treatment of children and younger adults: Risk of suicidality, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in treatment with antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants, respectively. Also, potential serious risks in treating the elderly and other special groups prone to nasty side effects. (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

B-6. Anti-parkinson drugs: Whole lotta shakin' going on. The archetypal Parkinson disease drug levodopa, as well as newer anti-parkinson agents. (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

B-7. In, out: How drugs are delivered into your body, into the brain, and back out (hey, they gotta go somewhere!).

C-1.There's more to it than just 5-HT, DA, NE, and ACh! Meet our new neurotransmitter friends GABA and NMDA! Ah yes, and ion channels too, while we're at it.(SUMMARY AVAILABLE).

C-2. Anticonvulsants: Not just for epilepsy; now approved for bipolar disorder!(SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

C-3. Lithium in bipolar disorder: It's so special it gets its own section! How it works, and why it's toxic to your thyroid (amongst other body parts). (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

C-4. "Nootropic" (cognition-enhancing) drugs for Alzheimer disease and other dementias: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (don't try and say that all in one breath!) as well as an "NMDA" drug, memantine.

C-5. Sedatives: Benzodiazepines and barbiturates - Also the newer "hypnotics"/sleep meds, as well as the non-hypnotic sleep aid ramelteon.

C-6. Opioids/Opiates: The opioid system in our bodies (including the well-known endorphins), and drugs that hit it, such as codeine and morphine.

D-1. Why NOT to recreationally ab/use any of the below substances: Addiction and the similar phenomenon of tolerance, and why receptors are so important here, especially in terms of withdrawal.

D-2. Pharmacology of drugs of recreational use and abuse: Wiring up with stimulants. This includes drugs such as methamphetamine ("meth" or "crystal meth") , MDMA ("ecstasy" or just "E"), cocaine/crack-cocaine, and the perfectly acceptable stimulants caffeine and nicotine.

D-3. Pharmacology of drugs of recreational use and abuse: Sedatives and opiates. We'll talk about drugs such as heroin, as well as ROHYPNOL ("roofies"), and not to mention GHB ("grievous bodily harm", but technically known as 'gamma-hydroxy butyrate'), and that perfectly legal sedative, ethanol (sold under the names TANQUERAY, SKYY, ABSOLUT, SAM ADAMS, and many more).

D-4. Pharmacology of drugs of recreational use and abuse: Trying to get away from it all with dissociatives. Dextromethorphan ("DXM", "Dex", "Robo"), Ketamine ("K", "Special K"), and any other drug classified as an "NMDA antagonist".

D-5. Drugs of recreational use and abuse: Ooh, pretty patterns... hallucinogens. Includes LSD, anticholinergics, cholinergics (e.g., 'shrooms). Controversies on the biology of psychological and physical addiction of hallucinogens.

D-7. Special focus on the pharmacology of pain medications, including some antidepressants (such as duloxetine and the tricyclic antidepressants) and the opiates in the treatment of pain. Also, discussions on the addictive potential and bio-ethical considerations of addiction in pain treatment. I'll probably throw in some stuff about palliative care, too. (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

F-1. Alternative/Complementary therapy: Herbal medicines: Ancient use/history, what modern science has found out about how they work (or don't work!) inside you, similarities with modern prescription drugs, safety of natural products. (SUMMARY AVAILABLE)

F-2. Nutrition, vitamins, and minerals and their effects on your psychology. Namely the more important ones, vitamins A and the B-series.

F-3. Cough medicines (such as dextromethorphan/ROBITUSSIN) and cold pills (such as diphenhydramine, aka BENADRYL), as well as other miscellaneous OTC medications that mess with your brain (for better or worse).

F-4. Isotretinoin (sold as the anti-acne drug branded ACCUTANE and ROACCUTANE) and why it could cause psychiatric side effects, especially in teenagers, whose brains are miswired to begin with anyways.

F-5. Immune-related drugs (the immune system-moderating interferon drugs, as well as some antivirals, antibiotics, and antimalarial drugs) and how their link to suicidal ideation might work. And, how the flu drug amantadine (SYMMETREL) found its way into treating Parkinson disease.