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calmative |
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calmative [kä′mətiv] having a calming or quieting effect. Calmative An agent used to control and/or sedate an unruly or hostile group of people, or used in a hostage situation sedative [sed´ah-tiv] 1. allaying irritability, excitement, or nervousness. 2. an agent that does this. The usual mode of action is depression of the central nervous system, which tends to cause lassitude and reduced mental activity. Sedatives are distinct from tranquilizers, which also have a calming effect but unlike sedatives usually do not suppress bodily reactions. Sedatives may be classified according to the organ most affected, such as cardiac, gastric, and so on. Called also calmative.
The degree of relaxation produced varies with the kind of sedative, the dose, the means of administration, and the mental state of the patient. By causing relaxation, a sedative may help a patient go to sleep, but it does not put him to sleep. Medicines that induce sleep are known as hypnotics (some drugs act as sedatives in small amounts and as hypnotics in large amounts). The barbiturates, such as phenobarbital, are the best known sedatives and are also widely used as hypnotics. Other effective sedatives include paraldehyde and chloral hydrate. Sedatives are useful in the treatment of any condition in which rest and relaxation are important to recovery. Some sedatives are also useful in treatment of convulsive disorders or epilepsy and in counteracting the effect of convulsion-producing drugs. They are used to calm patients before childbirth or surgery. Restlessness in invalids, profound grief in adults, and overexcitement in children can be controlled by medically supervised sedation. Because many sedatives are habit-forming, they should be used with caution. calmative, n a substance that gently induces rest.
calmative 1. sedative; allaying excitement. 2. an agent having such effects. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Calmatives often have less than a tenfold difference between effective and lethal dosages. Calmatives often have less than a ten-fold difference between effective and lethal dosages. Calmatives are neurochemical weapons funded by the U. |
calmatives |
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