Week 4 – Interactive Assignment
Week 4 – Assignment
Rapid Review 2
Select a psychoactive drug that is of pharmacological interest to you, but not one you will review as part of your Critical Review or one that was included in your previous Rapid Review. For this paper, you may choose drugs of abuse; however, the paper must focus on the pharmacology of the drug and not on the social or addictive aspects. If you focus on addiction and social impact, your paper will not receive credit.
In addition to the text, research a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years on your selected drug. Prepare a three-page summary of the drug using the PSY630 Rapid Review Example paper (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. as a guide.
In your Rapid Review, analyze and explain the pharmacological aspects of the drug as they relate to the following: neurotransmitters affected, receptors, route of administration, half-life, doses, side effects, drug interactions, contraindications, and other important facets of the drug. Explain these aspects of the drug in terms of the psychiatric disorders indicated for the drug and the issue(s) associated with that use. If there is no accepted therapeutic use for the drug, evaluate and describe the actions of the drug with regard to the abuse process.
The paper:
- Must be three to five double-spaced pages in length, excluding title page and references page, and it must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Must include a title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Your name
- Course name and number
- Your instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
- Must use at least three peer-reviewed sources in addition to the text.
- Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
General Description
Cocaine belongs to the larger class of stimulants that is among the widely used and illegally abused substance in the U.S. Cocaine was chosen for this paper because it is a widely abused stimulant with notable addictive effects on the users. Notably, cocaine is an alkaloid AL agent that is derived from the Erythroxylon coca plant in South America. The alkaloid ester is extracted from the leaves of the cocoa plant whereby it is used as a local anesthetic. Besides, cocaine is a vasoconstrictor, a clinical purpose that has seen its wide use in the eye, nose, ear, and throat. The drug has a powerful effect on the central nervous system similar to that of amphetamines which is also widely abused. Like the amphetamines, cocaine acts through multiple mechanisms on the brain catecholaminergic neurons. The mechanism of action is thought to reinforce effects that involve inhibition of dopamine uptake (Siciliano, Fordahl & Jones, 2016).