Consider the following statements regarding Tranquilizers? 1. It relieves anxiety, stress, irritability or excitement by inducing a sense of well- being. 2. It is a neurologically inactive drug. Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?
Tranquillizers and analgesics are neurologically active drugs . Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect. These affect the message transfer mechanism from the nerve to the receptor. Tranquillizers are a class of chemical compounds used for the treatment of stress and mild or even severe mental diseases. These relieve anxiety, stress, irritability or excitement by inducing a sense of well- being. Hence, Statement 1 is correct. They form an essential component of sleeping pills. There are various types of tranquillizers. They function by different mechanisms. For example, noradrenaline is one of the neurotransmitters that play a role in mood changes . If the level of noradrenaline is low for some reason, then the signal-sending activity becomes low, and the person suffers from depression. In such situations, antidepressant drugs are required. These drugs inhibit the enzymes which catalyse the degradation of noradrenaline. If the enzyme is inhibited , this important neurotransmitter is slowly metabolised and can activate its receptor for longer periods of time, thus counteracting the effect of depression . Iproniazid and phenelzine are two such drugs. Some tranquillizers namely, chlordiazepoxide and meprobamate , are relatively mild tranquillizers suitable for relieving tension. Equanil is used in controlling depression and hypertension.