Glossary

Terms

Agonist: A substance that initiates a physiological response when combined with a receptor.

Amphetamine: A synthetic, addictive, mood-altering drug, used illegally as a stimulant and legally as a prescription drug to treat children with ADD and adults with narcolepsy. Substitutions can be made to the structure to give a variety of stimulants and psychedelics, which may be denoted as "amphetamines".

Antagonist: A substance that interferes with or inhibits the physiological action of another.

Benzodiazepine: Any of a class of heterocyclic organic compounds effecting the GABA receptor complex used as tranquilizers, such as Librium and Valium.

Cannabinoid: Chemicals produced naturally that bind to cannabinoid receptors. They are involved in a variety of mental and physical processes, including pain regulation, food intake, and reward.

Cathinone: Cathinone, or Benzoylethanamine is a monoamine alkaloid found in the shrub Catha edulis (khat) and is chemically similar to ephedrine, cathine and other amphetamines. Cathinone differs from amphetamine by possessing a ketone oxygen atom on the β position of the side chain.

Chirality: The term chiral describes an object, especially a molecule, which has or produces a non-superimposeable mirror image of itself.

Depressant: A drug that reduces functional or nervous activity.

Dextromethorphan (DXM): An antitussive (cough suppressant) drug that also functions as a dissociative at higher doses.

Dissociative: A class of psychedelic drugs characterized by intense feelings of depersonalization, derealization, and analgesia.

Dopamine: A neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention, learning, and the brain’s pleasure and reward system.

First pass metabolism: First pass metabolism is the process in which the liver starts to break down drugs before they reach systemic circulation. Different ROA's including insufflation are used to bypass this process to increase potency.

GABA: Gamma aminobutyric acid: an amino acid that is found in the central nervous system; acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

GABA receptor: The GABA receptors are a class of receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

GHB: Gamma Hydroxybutyrate. A clear liquid taken for its euphoric and relaxing effects.

Inverse agonist: an inverse agonist is an agent that binds to the same receptor as an agonist but induces a pharmacological response opposite to that agonist.

Isomer: Each of two or more compounds with the same formula but a different arrangement of atoms in the molecule and different properties.

Ketamine: A synthetic compound used as an anesthetic and analgesic drug and also (illicitly) as a dissassociative hallucinogen through NMDA antagonism.

MAOI: Monoamine oxidase inhibitor: any of a group of antidepressant drugs that inhibit the action of monoamine oxidase in the brain and so allow monoamines to accumulate.

Monoamine Oxidase: An enzyme that catalyzes the metabolism of many drugs (e.g., DMT, dopamine and serotonin).

NMDA receptor: A glutamate receptor, is the predominant molecular device for controlling synaptic plasticity and memory function.

Nootropics: These are a class of drugs that work by increasing levels of either/or neurotransmitters, enzymes, hormones, oxygen supply, and/or stimulating nerve growth. They are generaly neuroprotective, and extremely non-toxic.

Norepinephrine: Norepinephrine, or noradrenaline, is a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter.

Opiate: Narcotic analgesic derived from a natural source (opium poppy).

Opioid: Narcotic analgesic that is either semi or fully synthetic - also refers to entire family of both opiates and opioids.

Phenethylamine: Phenethylamine (PEA) is a natural monoamine alkaloid, trace amine, and psychoactive drug with stimulant effects. In the mammalian central nervous system, phenethylamine is believed to function as a neuromodulator or neurotransmitter.

Phenethylamine (substituted): The substituted phenethylamines are a family of chemical compounds that contain the 2-phenylethylamine chemical structure and also have additional modifications at the phenyl ring, sidechain, and/or amino group (i.e. MDMA).

Re-uptake inhibitor: Also known as a transporter blocker, is a drug which inhibits the transporter-mediated reuptake of a neurotransmitter from the synapse into the pre-synaptic neuron, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter.

Releaser: A releasing agent (RA), or simply releaser, is a drug that induces the release of a neurotransmitter from the presynaptic neuron into the synapse, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter.

Research Chemical: Designer drugs, a term used to describe drugs which are created (or marketed, if they had already existed) to get around existing drug laws, usually by modifying the molecular structures of existing drugs to varying degrees, or less commonly by finding drugs with entirely different chemical.

ROA: Common abbreviation for Route Of Administration, used to describe the various different methods of ingesting drugs, including oral, insufflation, sublingual/buccal, rectal, intramuscular (IM) and intravenous (IV) injection.

Inverse agonist: An inverse agonist is an agent that binds to the same receptor as an agonist but induces a pharmacological response opposite to that agonist (i.e. Naloxone).

Serotonin (5-HT): A monoamine neurotransmitter, biochemically derived from tryptophan, that is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and central nervous system (CNS) of humans and animals. It is a well-known contributor to feelings of well-being.

Stimulant: A substance that raises levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body.

Tryptamine: Tryptamine is a monoamine alkaloid found in plants, fungi, and animals. It is based around the indole ring structure, and is chemically related to the amino acid tryptophan, from which its name is derived.