Psychotropic medication alleviates the symptoms of mental disorders and is often used in combination with psychotherapy. Many patients who have been prescribed psychotropic medications find that they are able to live full and active lives, but the side effects of these drugs are different for every individual. Below are the different classifications of psychotropic drugs.

Stimulants can cause an increase in alertness and wakefulness. They work to increase dopamine and norepinephrine activity. Stimulants that have medicinal uses include amphetamines. These kind of psychotropic medications can be used to treat lethargy, narcolepsy and ADHD. Possible side effects of stimulants include anxiety (even though some stimulants can be used to treat anxiety) and changes to blood pressure and heart rate.

Depressants are the direct opposite of stimulants, in terms of function. Depressants decrease activity in specific parts of the mind or body, often by facilitating opioid and GABA activity. They can be used as sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics. Anxiolytics are drugs that are used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, and they may also be used to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. The most common depressants are barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

Barbiturates, including thiopental (sold under the trade name Pentothal), secobarbital (or Seconal) and am barbital (or Amytal) are psychotropic medications that can be used in the treatment of anxiety, although they have largely been replaced by safer benzodiazepines.

Barbiturates work by preventing signals from stimulating the region of the brain known as the reticular activating system. This part of the brain is responsible for the control of arousal, attention and the waking state. Barbiturates have similar side effects to benzodiazepines, but they are usually more severe. Patients can also become addicted to barbiturates. An overdose of barbiturates is very serious and can even be fatal.

Benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety and insomnia. They include diazepam (or Valium), lorazepam (or Ativan), clonazepam (or Klonopin), triazolam (or Halcion) and alprazolam (or Xanax). They work by increasing the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitter. Possible side effects that can be experienced by patients taking benzodiazepines include dry mouth, apathy, drowsiness, sexual dysfunction and weight gain.

Osteoporosis is a disease of bones which makes them weak and more prone to fractures. Anyone can suffer from osteoporosis but it is more common in older women. In osteoporosis bone mineral density is reduced and architecture of the bone is disrupted. Osteoporosis is a disease wherein there is a high risk for bone fracture due to decrease in bone density. Epidemiology shows that females are more vulnerable to osteoporosis than males.

Osteoporosis commonly happens when there is an abnormally high bone reabsorption and inability to produce sufficient new bone tissue. Normally, an old bone is reabsorbed and a new bone is produced. Production of a new bone is faster in younger age, especially in children, infants and adolescents. Bone development is slower and leads to lesser density of bone tissues at around age thirty. Later on, bone reabsorption happens when the production is excessive resulting in decrease of bone strength.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis often was thought to be a condition that frail elderly women develop. Osteoporosis leads to literally abnormally porous bone that is more compressible like a sponge, than dense like a brick. This disorder of the skeleton weakens the bone leading to an increase in the risk of breaking bones (bone fracture). A broken bone can really affect a woman’s life. It can cause disability, pain, or loss of independence.

Other causes of osteoporosis are heredity and lifestyle. Whites and Asians, tall and thin women and those with a history of osteoporosis are those at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis. The behavioral causes of increasing the risk of osteoporosis are smoking, alcohol abuse, prolonged inactivity and a diet low in calcium. There are also some diseases that are associated with aging that cause osteoporosis, which include kidney failure, liver disease, cancers, Paget’s disease, endocrine or glandular diseases, gonadal failure and rheumatoid arthritis. There are some medications like steroids, seizure drugs, thyroid hormone and blood thinners that are also found to cause osteoporosis.

Individual circumstances determine which treatment approaches are most appropriate. Calcium and vitamin D The body’s ability to absorb dietary calcium diminishes with advancing age. Most adults should take calcium supplements to get 1000 to 1200 milligrams of calcium daily combined with dietary calcium. Though calcium cannot restore bone structure that is already lost to osteoporosis, the bones need abundant calcium simply to maintain bone remodeling.

If you are postmenopausal, you can find a variety of drugs that are designed to do this for you. One popular osteoporosis treatment is biophosphates, which are medications such as Actonel. It’s the only oral monthly osteoporosis treatment approved to help prevent fractures at both the spine and other areas where fractures commonly occur (other areas were measured as a group, not separately). Actonel is clinically proven to help decrease the chance of a spinal fracture in just 1 year. Talk to your doctor to find out if Actonel is the right fit for your bone health routine.