Lorazepam (brand name Ativan) is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic. Lorazepam binds to an allosteric site on GABA-A receptors, which are pentameric ionotropic receptors in the CNS. Binding potentiates the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which upon binding opens the chloride channel in the receptor, allowing chloride influx and causing hyperpolarization of the neuron. Studies in healthy volunteers show that in single high doses Ativan (lorazepam) has a tranquilizing action on the central nervous system with no appreciable effect on the respiratory or cardiovascular systems. Ativan (lorazepam) is readily absorbed with an absolute bioavailability of 90 percent. The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam glucuronide, about 18 hours. At clinically relevant concentrations, lorazepam is approximately 85% bound to plasma proteins. Lorazepam is rapidly conjugated at its 3-hydroxy group into lorazepam glucuronide which is then excreted in the urine. Lorazepam glucuronide has no demonstrable CNS activity in animal. Most adverse reactions to benzodiazepines, including CNS effects and respiratory depression, are dose dependent, with more severe effects occurring with high doses. Paradoxical reactions, including anxiety, excitation, agitation, hostility, aggression, rage, sleep disturbances/insomnia, sexual arousal, and hallucinations may occur. Small decreases in blood pressure and hypotension may occur but are usually not clinically significant, probably being related to the relief of anxiety produced by lorazepam.

Loxapine is a dibenzoxazepine tricyclic antipsychotic agent, available for oral and inhalatory administration, classified as a typical antipsychotic. Loxapine acts as an antagonist at central serotonin and dopamine receptors. Adasuve (loxapine inhalation powder) is a prescription medicine that is used to treat acute agitation in adults with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder.

Molindone (Moban) is a therapeutic antipsychotic, used in the treatment of schizophrenia. The exact mechanism has not been established, however, based on electroencephalogram (EEG) studies, molindone is thought to act by occupying (antagonizing) dopamine (D2) receptor sites in the reticular limbic systems in the brain, thus decreasing dopamine activity. Decreased dopamine activity results in decreased physiological effects normally induced by excessive dopamine stimulation, such as those typically seen in manifestations of psychotic disorders. The side effect profile of molindone is similar to that of other typical antipsychotics. Unlike most antipsychotics, however, molindone use is associated with weight loss.

Clorazepate is a water-soluble benzodiazepine derivative effective in the treatment of anxiety. It has also muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant actions. Studies in healthy men have shown that clorazepate dipotassium has depressant effects on the central nervous system. clorazepate is a prodrug since orally administered it is rapidly decarboxylated to form nordiazepam, there is essentially no circulating parent drug. Nordiazepam positively modulates GABAA receptors to produce anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects.

Flurazepam (known under the brand names Dalmane and Dalmadorm) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It is a hypnotic agent which does not appear to decrease dream time as measured by rapid eye movements (REM). Furthermore, it decreases sleep latency and number of awakenings for a consequent increase in total sleep time. Flurazepam binds to an allosteric site on GABA-A receptors. Binding potentiates the action of GABA on GABA-A receptors by opening the chloride channel within the receptor, causing chloride influx and hyperpolarization. Flurazepam is useful for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, and/or early morning awakening. Flurazepam can be used effectively in patients with recurring insomnia or poor sleeping habits, and in acute or chronic medical situations requiring restful sleep.

Haloperidol is a phenyl-piperidinyl-butyrophenone that is used primarily to treat schizophrenia and other psychoses. It is also used in schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorders, ballism, and Tourette syndrome (a drug of choice) and occasionally as adjunctive therapy in mental retardation and the chorea of Huntington disease. It is a potent antiemetic and is used in the treatment of intractable hiccups. Haloperidol also exerts sedative and antiemetic activity. Haloperidol principal pharmacological effects are similar to those of piperazine-derivative phenothiazines. The drug has action at all levels of the central nervous system-primarily at subcortical levels-as well as on multiple organ systems. Haloperidol has strong antiadrenergic and weaker peripheral anticholinergic activity; ganglionic blocking action is relatively slight. It also possesses slight antihistaminic and antiserotonin activity. The precise mechanism whereby the therapeutic effects of haloperidol are produced is not known, but the drug appears to depress the CNS at the subcortical level of the brain, midbrain, and brain stem reticular formation. Haloperidol seems to inhibit the ascending reticular activating system of the brain stem (possibly through the caudate nucleus), thereby interrupting the impulse between the diencephalon and the cortex. The drug may antagonize the actions of glutamic acid within the extrapyramidal system, and inhibitions of catecholamine receptors may also contribute to haloperidol's mechanism of action. Haloperidol may also inhibit the reuptake of various neurotransmitters in the midbrain, and appears to have a strong central antidopaminergic and weak central anticholinergic activity. The drug produces catalepsy and inhibits spontaneous motor activity and conditioned avoidance behaviours in animals. The exact mechanism of antiemetic action of haloperidol has also not been fully determined, but the drug has been shown to directly affect the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) through the blocking of dopamine receptors in the CTZ. Haloperidol is marketed under the trade name Haldol among others.

Thiothixene (trade mark Navane) belongs to a class of antipsychotics known as the first-generation antipsychotics, sometimes referred to as conventional or typical antipsychotics. Thiothixene is a thioxanthene antipsychotic which elicits antipsychotic activity by postsynaptic blockade of CNS dopamine receptors resulting in inhibition of dopamine-mediated effects; also has alpha-adrenergic blocking activity. Thiothixene is effective in the management of schizophrenia. Only cis isomer of thiothixene exerts clinical effectivity.

Oxazepam is the first of a chemical series of compounds, the 3-hydroxybenzodiazepinones. A therapeutic agent providing versatility and flexibility in control of common emotional disturbances, this product exerts prompt action in a wide variety of disorders associated with anxiety, tension, agitation and irritability, and anxiety associated with depression. Oxazepam has distinguished itself clinically from other benzodiazepines by virtue of its excellent tolerance. Because of its excellent tolerance, dosage is very flexible, and it is, therefore, possible to utilize oxazepam in a wide spectrum of anxiety-related disorders including the psychoses. Oxazepam has been administered to humans by the oral route only. Usual ranges for kinetic parameters are: elimination half-life, 5 to 15 hours; volume of distribution, 0.6 to 2.0 L/kg; clearance, 0.9 to 2.0 ml/min/kg. Age and liver disease have a minimal influence on oxazepam kinetics, but renal disease is associated with a prolonged half-life and increased volume of distribution.

Diazepam is a benzodiazepine first discovered at Hoffman-La Roche in the late 1950s. Diazepam was approved by FDA for the treatment of anxiety disorders as well as for such conditions as skeletal muscle spasm, alcohol withdrawal syndrom and convulsions (under the most known brand Valium). The drug acts by binding to GABA-A receptors and potentiating GABA evoked current. Chronic diazepam use is associated with tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal.

Methohexital is an ultrashort-acting barbiturate widely used in dentistry because of its rapid onset, predictable effects, and short duration of action. It was marked under the name brevital sodium for the intravenous anaesthesia. It has also been commonly used to induce deep sedation. Like other barbiturates, methohexital exerts its effects through the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor complex. By binding to its own receptor on the complex, methohexital augments the inhibitory effect of GABA on neurons and additionally can exert a similar effect independent of GABA.