Mauricio Roberto Teves

Use of Psychotropic Drugs: Between the Medicalization and Rationality

The way in which we perceive mental illness has changed over time. Currently, problems adjusting to certain situations of everyday life, such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression have become diseases that must be treated with medication, regardless that, in most cases, these problems could be solved with simple changes in lifestyle. Psychotropic drugs are not always prescribed for true patients, but for patients with other types of suffering, being useless drugs, or acting as placebos in the most cases. The banal, excessive, and abusive use of them is known as medicalization of mental health, caused mainly by the aggressive promotion carried out for the pharmaceutical industry by using different strategies. Not only do the psychoactive drugs and the health professionals influence this process, since by the current globalization of health, the patients have turned into true consumers of all types of health services. The improper use of this group of drugs which leads to significant adverse reactions, the changes in perception of the processes of health and disease, and the inclusion of highly vulnerable groups as targets of medicalization, are truly alarming. Therefore, our objective is to describe some aspects of this complex problem and to outline some proposals to try to change it.

Records of Medicinal Plants Utilized as Gastroprotective and for Treatment of Gastrointestinal Ulcers, Gastritis, and Heartburn in Argentina: A Survey of the Literature

Traditional knowledge available on 148 plant species used in Argentina for gastroprotection and treating gastrointestinal ulcers, gastritis, and heartburn, was compiled to analyze their taxonomic grouping, floristic richness, the life form, and organs used, and to determine their susceptibility to over-collection.

Psychotropic Medication Use in the Elderly

Aging is associated with progressive decrease in the function of multiple organs, presence of comorbidities, polypharmacy, and functional and social problems that may lead to inappropriate use of drugs. Consequently, the elderly are very vulnerable to display adverse reactions, interactions, hospitalizations, mortality, and poor adherence to treatment. The most serious side-effects in the elderly are caused by antiplatelet agents, diuretics, anticoagulants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; and within psychotropic drugs, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and antipsychotic medications are of high risk. Anxiolytics produce excessive sedation, decreased alertness, confusion, ataxia, falls and hip fractures, increased mortality, and impairment of dementia symptoms. Antidepressants may lead to lack of response to treatment and anticholinergic effects. Antipsychotics may produce limited benefit and stroke. A deeply rooted cultural problem in the West is to see old age as synonymous of illness, the elderly being inevitably favorite targets of medicalization, particularly with psychotropic drugs. Problems of everyday life such as sadness or anxiety have become diseases that can be treated with anxiolytics or antidepressants. Psychotropic drugs relieve symptoms that produce certain diseases; if they are used for another purpose, this is considered inappropriate use. Health professionals should contribute by: reducing excessive and unnecessary consumption of psychotropic drugs, promoting their de-prescription, encouraging patients to face their difficulties without drugs, and searching for other solutions such as adoption of hygienic–sanitary measures, reducing risks to patient health, and reducing health costs. For these reasons, our objective is to describe some aspects related to the use of psychotropic drugs in the elderly, suggesting possible measures to improve it.

Anti-inflammatory Activity and Antioxidant Potential of Aqueous Extracts from Stem Bark of Geoffroea decorticans

In the present work we investigated, for the first time, the anti-inflammatory activity and the antioxidant properties of aqueous and ethanolic extracts, obtained from stem bark of Geoffroea decorticans (Gill. ex Hook. et Arn.) Burk. (Fabaceae). G. decorticans, commonly known as “chañar” or “chañarcillo”, is a traditional argentinean plant used as emollient, balsamic, antitussive, expectorant and anti-inflammatory. The stem bark was collected from San Francisco del Monte de Oro, San Luis, Argentina. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Antioxidant activity was tested using 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity (DPPH), 2,2 ́-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging activity (ABTS) and ferric ion-reducing power (RP-Fe) assays. Aqueous extract 10% p/v showed anti-inflammatory activity (3h, 48% inhibition, 5h 37% inhibition and 7h 17% inhibition) and antioxidant activity (DPPH, IC50 (mg/mL) = 0.098 ± 0.032; ABTS, IC50 (mg/mL) = 0.022 ± 0.343, RP-Fe IC50 (mg/mL) = 1.124 ± 0.146). In the other hand, the ethanolic extract 5% p/v, presented anti-inflammatory activity (3h, 34% inhibition, 5h 38% inhibition and 7h 35% inhibition) and antioxidant activity (DPPH, IC50 (mg/mL) = 0.133 ± 0.027; ABTS, IC50 (mg/mL) = 0.086 ± 0.262, RP-Fe IC50 (mg/mL) = 7.089 ± 0.104). These results suggest that, also fruits, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the stem bark of G. decorticans present significant anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant properties.

Antidiarrhoeal activity of Aristolochia argentina Gris. (Aristolochiaceae) in rodents

The roots of Aristolochia argentina are used in folk medicine for the treatment of colitis, diarrhoea and hemorrhoids. In this study, based on ethnobotanical lead, we evaluated the antidiarrhoeal activity of Aristolochia argentina lyophilized aqueous extract (AALE) in rats and mice using various models. The castor oil and magnesium sulphate induced diarrhoea, the small intestinal transit in mice and the intestinal fluid accumulation were used in this study. At the doses of 62.5, 125 and 250 mg/kg p.o., the AALE showed significant antidiarrhoeal activity in both models. The AALE significantly reduced the intestinal fluid accumulation in the castor oil induced enteropooling. AALE delays small intestinal transit possibly, at least in part, involving opioid and α2-adrenergic receptors. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and anthraquinones. The results suggest that AALE showed antidiarrhoeal activity by inhibiting intestinal motility and enteropooling property, justify its use in traditional medicine.