Editing Sedative (section)

{{Short description|Drug that reduces excitement without inducing sleep}}
{{redirect|Tranquilizer}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox drug class
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| Image               = НОВО-СЕД (пилюли).jpg
| Alt                 = 200x
| Caption             = Herbal sedative.
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| Drugs.com           = {{Drugs.com|drug-class|anxiolytics-sedatives-and-hypnotics}}
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| MeshID              = D006993
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A '''sedative''' or '''tranquilliser'''{{notetag|Also spelled ''tranquillizer'' ([[Oxford spelling]]) and ''tranquilizer'' (US spelling); see [[American and British English spelling differences|spelling differences]]}} is a substance that induces [[sedation]] by reducing [[irritability]]<ref name="urlJohns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center - Glossary S">{{cite web |url=http://www.hopkinscoloncancercenter.org/index.cfm?cID=194&CFID=1128737&CFTOKEN=20842936 |title=Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center – Glossary S |access-date=1 January 2009 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034840/http://www.hopkinscoloncancercenter.org/index.cfm?cID=194&CFID=1128737&CFTOKEN=20842936 |url-status=dead }}</ref> or [[Psychomotor agitation|excitement]].<ref>{{DorlandsDict|seven/000095557|sedative}}</ref> They are [[central nervous system]] (CNS) [[Depressant|depressants]] and interact with brain activity, causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but the majority of them affect the [[neurotransmitter]] [[Gamma-Aminobutyric acid|gamma-aminobutyric acid]] (GABA). Most sedatives produce relaxing effects by increasing GABA activity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/sedatives|title=Sedatives {{!}} Psychology Today|website=Psychology Today|language=en|access-date=2017-11-20}}</ref>

This group is related to [[hypnotic]]s. The term ''sedative'' describes drugs that serve to calm or [[Anxiolytic|relieve anxiety]], whereas the term ''hypnotic'' describes drugs whose main purpose is to initiate, sustain, or lengthen sleep. Because these two functions frequently overlap, and because drugs in this class generally produce dose-dependent effects (ranging from [[anxiolysis]] to loss of consciousness), they are often referred to collectively as ''sedative–hypnotic'' drugs.<ref name="Pharmacologic Basis of Therapeutics">{{cite book|last1=Brunton |first1=Laurence L. |last2=Lazo |first2=John S. |last3=Lazo Parker |first3=Keith L. |title=Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics |publisher=The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. |year=2006 |edition=11th |chapter-url=http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=374&sectionid=41266223 |chapter=17: Hypnotics and Sedatives |isbn=978-0-07-146804-6 |access-date=2014-02-06}}</ref>