A list of miscellanious medications that do not reasonably fit into any other category on this site.
Buspirone
Buspirone is an anxiolytic drug unrelated to conventional tranquillisers such as benzodiazepines. In terms of efficacy it is roughly equal to the benzodiazepine medication diazepam in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorders but is less effective than benzodiazepines in general. It is also very useful in the treatment of anxious depressive illnesses when mixed with SSRI antidepressants in particular. Unusually for an anxiolytic, buspirone is not sedating and does not interact with alcohol; it is also thought not to be addicting. Unfortunately the drug takes several weeks to take effect so patients are often treated with faster acting tranquillisers initially. Buspirone should not strictly be mixed with RIMA or MAOI antidepressants.
Chloral Hydrate
A tranquillising and sedative drug, this medication is used as a tranquilliser before minor surgery and as a short term treatment for insomnia. It has been mostly superceded by benzodiazepine drugs in these capacities but is still used in veterinary practices. When mixed with alcohol, the solution is nicknamed "knockout drops".
Used as a hypnotic, the medication reaches peak effectiveness about an hour after administration. The drug is mildly addictive and if over used can trigger withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of treatment; during regular use, the drug may cause liver damage.
Chlormethiazole
Used to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms, chlormethiazole exhibits sedative and hypnotic qualities. It also acts as an anticonvulsant and as a muscle relaxant, making it sound similar to the typical barbiturate.
The drug acts by increasing the amount of GABA (Gamma-AminoButyric Acid) within the brain. GABA is instrumental in the role of sedation and control, so the increase acts as a sleep instruction for the over-active parts of the brain.
Chlormethiazole also inhibits the breakdown of alcohol within the brain by reducing the amount of a chemical called alcohol dehydrogenase, making it useful for the treatment of alcoholism.
The Who drummer Keith Moon died due to overdose of this drug.