CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL Student's Name

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NERVOUS SYSTEM DRUGS Course Name

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NERVOUS SYSTEM
It consist of Central and peripheral nervous systems
Major nervous system structures include:
•Brain
•Spinal cord
•Nerves
•Sensory Receptors
The nervous system coordinates and regulates activities of the
body.
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the body's processing
center.
The CNS is made up of :
•Brain
•Spinal cord
The CNS combines information and coordinates activities of the
body.
The brain is the most complex organ in the body.
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
The peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is made up of parts
outside the brain and spinal cord.
PNS sends information to the brain from different body parts.
Transports commands from the brain to rest of the body.
PNS is made up of two subsystems:
•Autonomic - Automatic processes by the brain
•Somatic – Functions managed through thinking
NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISORDERS
The nervous system is vulnerable to multiple disorders.
The nervous system can be damaged by:
•Degeneration
•Trauma
•Structural defects
•Infections
•Blood flow disruption
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISORDERS
 Central Nervous system disorders might result from:
•Infections - polio, meningitis
•Vascular disorders - hematoma, stroke, hemorrhage
•Functional disorders - epilepsy, headaches
•Structural disorders - spinal or brain tumors
•Degeneration - Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease etc.
Brain tumors are the most common and fatal.
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM DISORDERS
PNS disorders result in damage to the PNS.
Damage to the PNS results in loss of:
•Motor functions is the motor neurons get affected.
•Altered sensation when sensory neurons are affected.
Signs and symptoms of problems with the PNS:
•Muscle rigidity, impaired speech, loss of motor activity etc.
Common PNS disorder example; Diabetic neuropathies
NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
Nervous Agents are medicines that affect the Nervous System.
Drugs that work on the Nervous System include:
•Anticonvulsants
•Anti-emetics
•Anesthetics
•Antiparkinson agents
•Analgesics etc.
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
AGENTS
CNS Agents affect the brain and spinal cord.
They produce responses that alleviate or treat specific
CNS conditions.
Analgesics are used as pain relievers.
•Two of the main Analgesics include:
1. Opioids e.g. OxyContin, fentanyl
2. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs e.g. Toradol, Advil
 CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
AGENTS (CONT.)
Anticonvulsants help with the traveling of nerve impulses along the
nerve cells.
They help prevent seizures by maintaining nerve cell impulses on
normal levels.
Used to treat a range of conditions: Epilepsy, Neuropathic pain,
Bipolar, Seizures etc.
The drugs include:
•Benzodiazepine anticonvulsants e.g Klonopin
•Triazine anticonvulsants e.g. Lamictal
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM AGENTS
Peripheral neuropathy describes multiple conditions that
affect the PNS.
The condition causes distorted nerve signals.
Treatment targets the underlying cause or provides pain
relief.
Pain medications include:
•Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
•Lidocaine patch etc.
ROUTES OF
ADMINISTRATION
Some of the drugs are available over the counter some
are prescribed
Nervous system drugs are administered:
•Intravenously primarily or orally
•Intravenously and intramuscular
SIDE EFFECTS AND ADVERSE
EFFECTS
Side effects of central and peripheral nervous system drugs:
•Nausea
•Mood changes
•Headaches etc.
Adverse effects include:
•Liver or Kidney damage
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
During intravenous administration of drugs the nurse
should:
•Assessing baseline vitals
During administration of opioids:
•Monitoring respiration
NURSING INTERVENTIONS
 Performance of the five rights before administration:
•Right patient
•Right medication
•Right dose
•Right route
•Right times
Evaluate patients response to the medication
CONCLUSION
A lot remains to be learned about the human brain and
how it is influenced by drugs.
Physicians that prescribe central and peripheral nervous
drugs system need to be aware of side effects.
REFERENCES
Egger, C. (2021). The autonomic nervous system. Manual of Equine Anesthesia and
Analgesia, 110-118. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119631316.ch7
Kumar, A., Kaur, H., & Singh, A. (2018). Neuropathic pain models caused by damage to
central or peripheral nervous system. Pharmacological Reports, 70(2), 206-216.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2017.09.009
LoRusso, S. (2021). Infections of the peripheral nervous system. CONTINUUM: Lifelong
Learning in Neurology, 27(4), 921-942. https://doi.org/10.1212/con.0000000000000981
Yong, H. Y., Rawji, K. S., Ghorbani, S., Xue, M., & Yong, V. W. (2019). The benefits of
neuroinflammation for the repair of the injured central nervous system. Cellular &
Molecular Immunology, 16(6), 540-546. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-019-0223-3