Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The 1997 edition which surveys the psychoactive drugs currently available and looks at their effects on the brain and behaviour. Aimed at students of pharmacology, neuropsychopharmacology and psychology.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. xi)
• Part 1 Introduction to Psychopharmacology: How Drugs Interact with the Body and the Brain (p. 1)
• 1 Pharmacokinetics: How Drugs Are Handled by the Body (p. 3)
• Drug Absorption
• Drug Distribution
• Termination of Drug Action
• Time Course of Drug Distribution and Elimination: Concept of Drug Half-Life
• Drug Half-Life, Accumulation, and Steady State
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
• Drug Tolerance and Dependence
• 2 Pharmacodynamics: How Drugs Act (p. 37)
• Receptors for Drug Action
• Dose-Response Relationships
• Drug Safety and Effectiveness
• 3 The Neuron, Synaptic Transmission, and Neurotransmitters (p. 60)
• Overall Organization of the CNS
• The Neuron
• Specific Neurotransmitters
• Part 2 Drugs That Depress Brain Function: Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs (p. 89)
• 4 Ethyl Alcohol and the Inhalants of Abuse (p. 91)
• Ethyl Alcohol
• Pharmacology of Alcohol
• Alcoholism and Its Pharmacological Treatment
• Inhalants of Abuse
• Why Inhalants Are Abused and Who Abuses Them
• Acute Intoxication and Chronic Effects
• Chapter 4 Appendix: What Is a Drink? How Much Alcohol Is in My Drink?
• 5 Barbiturates, General Anesthetics, Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and Antiepileptic Drugs (p. 140)
• Historical Background
• Sites and Mechanisms of Action
• Sedative-Induced Brain Dysfunction
• Specific Depressants
• Barbiturates
• Nonbarbiturate Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs
• General Anesthetics
• Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
• Antiepileptic Drugs
• Relationships Between Structure and Activity
• Specific Agents
• Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy
• 6 Benzodiazapines and Second-Generation Anxiolytics (p. 164)
• Benzodiazepines
• What Is a Benzodiazapine?
• Mechanism of Action: Benzodiazepine-GABA Receptor
• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacological Effects
• Clinical Uses and Limitations
• Side Effects and Toxicity
• Tolerance and Dependence
• Effects in Pregnancy
• Flumazenil: A GABA[subscript A] Antagonist
• Second-Generation Anxiolytics
• Zolpidem
• Zaleplon and Zopiclone
• Partial Agonists at GABA[subscript A] Receptors
• Serotoninergic Anxiolytics
• Anticonvulsants as Anxiolytics
• Part 3 Drugs That Stimulate Brain Function: Psychostimulants (p. 189)
• 7 Cocaine and the Amphetamines (p. 190)
• Cocaine
• Forms of Cocaine
• Pharmacokinetics
• Mechanism of Action
• Pharmacological Effects in Human Beings
• Comorbidity
• Cocaine and Pregnancy
• Neurotoxicity of Cocaine
• Pharmacological Treatment of Cocaine Dependency
• Psychosocial Interventions for Cocaine Dependence
• Amphetamines
• Mechanism of Action
• Pharmacological Effects
• Dependence and Tolerance
• Ice: A Free-Base Form of Methamphetamine
• Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity
• Nonamphetamine Behavioral Stimulants
• 8 Caffeine and Nicotine (p. 225)
• Caffeine
• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacological Effects
• Mechanism of Action
• Reproductive Effects
• Tolerance and Dependence
• Nicotine
• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacological Effects
• Mechanism of Action
• Tolerance and Dependence
• Toxicity
• Therapy for Nicotine Dependence
• Chapter 8 Appendix: Caffeine Content in Beverages, Foods, and Medicines
• Part 4 Drugs That Are Used to Treat Psychological Disorders (p. 253)
• 9 Antidepressant Drugs (p. 255)
• Depression
• First-Generation Antidepressants
• Second-Generation (Atypical) Antidepressants
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
• Dual-Action Antidepressants
• Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
• Antidepressants of the Future
• 10 Drugs Used to Treat Bipolar Disorder (Mood Stabilizers) (p. 306)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Lithium
• Neuromodulator Anticonvulsants
• Atypical Antipsychotics
• Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Miscellaneous Agents
• Psychotherapeutic and Psychosocial Treatments
• 11 Antipsychotic Drugs (p. 337)
• Schizophrenia
• Overview of Antipsychotic Drugs
• Phenothiazines
• Older Alternatives to Phenothiazines
• Atypical Antipsychotic Agents
• 12 Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (p. 382)
• Behavioral and Aggressive Disorders
• Autism and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Depression in Children and Adolescents
• Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents
• Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents
• Psychotic Disorders in Children and Adolescents
• 13 Geriatric Psychopharmacology: Drugs for Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's Disease (p. 421)
• Parkinson's Disease
• Levodopa
• Dopamine Receptor Agonists
• Selegiline
• Muscarinic Receptor Antagonists
• Amantadine and Memantine
• CEP-1347
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
• Memantine
• Investigational Drugs
• Part 5 Special Topics in Psychotherapeutics (p. 443)
• 14 Nonnarcotic Anti-Inflammatory Analgesics (p. 444)
• Nonselective Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors
• Selective COX-2 Inhibitors
• Nonopioid Analgesics of the Future: Nitric Oxide-Releasing Aspirins
• 15 Opioid Analgesics (p. 461)
• History of Opioid Analgesics
• Terminology
• Opioid Receptors
• Classification of Opioid Analgesics
• Morphine: A Pure Opioid Agonist
• Other Pure Opioid Agonists
• Partial Opioid Agonists
• Mixed Agonist-Antagonist Opioids
• Pure Opioid Antagonists
• Opioid Combinations
• Pharmacotherapy of Opioid Dependence
• 16 Herbal Medicines Used in the Treatment of Psychological Disorders (p. 501)
• St. John's Wort
• Ginkgo
• Kava
• Ephedrine (Ma-Huang)
• Other Herbals That Act on the CNS
• 17 Integration of Drugs and Psychological Therapies in Treating Mental and Behavior Disorders (p. 524)
• Undertreatment of Mental and Psychological Disorders
• Depression
• Role of Drugs as Cotherapy
• Role of Psychotherapy as Cotherapy
• Role of the Treatment Team
• DSM-IV-TR Classification of Mental Disorders
• Part 6 Agents Primarily Considered as Drugs of Abuse (p. 555)
• 18 Tetrahydrocannabinol (p. 556)
• History
• Mechanism of Action: Cannabinoid Receptor
• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacological Effects of THC in Animals
• Pharmacological Effects of THC in Humans
• Tolerance and Dependence
• Therapeutic Uses
• Cannabinoid Antagonists
• 19 Psychedelic Drugs: Mescaline, Ecstasy, LSD, and Other Hallucinogens (p. 588)
• Anticholinergic Psychedelics: Scopolamine
• Catecholaminelike Psychedelics
• Serotoninlike Psychedelics
• Glutaminergic NMDA Receptor Antagonists
• Opioid Kappa Receptor Agonist: Salvinorin A
• 20 Anabolic Steroids (p. 626)
• Mechanism of Action
• Effects
• Physical Dependence
• Abuse and Treatment
• Androstenedione
• 21 Topics in Drug Abuse (p. 645)
• Historical and Current Perspectives
• Extent of the Drug Problem
• Nosology and Psychopathology of Substance Abuse
• Psychoactive Drugs as Behavioral Reinforcers: The Neurobiology of Addiction
• Other Neurotransmitter Systems Involved in Reward: Modulators of Dopaminergic Activity
• Drug Availability
• Addiction as a Chronic, Relapsing Illness
• Drug Education
• Treatment Issues
• Pharmacotherapy of Substance Use Disorders
• Glossary (p. 667)
• Index (p. 675)

Author notes provided by Syndetics