DRUGS OR PSYCHOPHARMACA
Psychopharmaca are generally separated into three groups:
the psycholeptica:
substances that predominately inhibit brain activity;
the stimulantia or psychoanaleptica:
substances that predominately stimulate brain activity;
the hallucinogenen or psychodysleptica:
substances that neither inhibit nor stimulate the nervous system, but change the balance of brain activity.
The inhibitors include the opiates (opium, morphine, heroin, (methadone), the barbiturates, the benzodiazepines and various groups of antipsychotica (neuroleptica), and the sniffing agents such as tri, ether etc.
The stimulants include amphetamine, methylamphetamine, cocaine, nicotine, caffeine and the antidepressives.
The most important hallucinogens are substances such as LSD, psilocybine and mescaline.
The hallucinogens also include substances such as PCP, MDMA (XTC) and the cannabis products (hashish and marihuana), although these only have a very limited hallucinogenic effect. The most characteristic feature of the hallucinogens is that they elicit these effects again and again per dosage, but have hardly any other affect on the body.