Stimulants
Caffeine and nicotine are the best known of the stimulants. In therapy, stimulants are used in the treatment of narcolepsy (individuals suddenly fall asleep for short periods of time, even when engaged in activities), some forms of epilepsy, and, paradoxically, hyperkinetic children (who are excessively active and have short attention spans and explosive irritability).
Antiepileptic Drugs
For many of the two million Americans with epilepsy, these antiseizure drugs are very helpful. Epilepsy does not tend to shorten an individual's life, but it is a severe, troubling, and often disabling condition for which drug therapy can be a blessing.
Antiparkinsonian Drugs
These drugs have helped the lives of many people who are affected by the characteristic involuntary tremors of this disease, which can cause abnormalities in gait and trembling of the voluntary muscles.
Psychedelics
Psychedelic drugs are also called hallucinogens. They produce altered states of consciousness and sensory distortions. Psychedelics have no established use in psychiatry at present in the United States. Great Britain and Canada, however, have experimented with psychedelics in the treatment of alcoholics, whom they sometimes appear to help. Psychedelics have also sometimes been used for the terminally ill and in certain cases of autism.
Drugs for Headache, Migraine, and Neuralgia
Drugs for these common kinds of pain are widespread. Migraines (which may cause blurred vision, vertigo, and even temporary deafness) and cluster headaches (which cause severe pain around the eyes, tearing and reddening of the eyes, and runny nose) frequently can be treated successfully with specific drugs. Neuralgias are recurrent knifelike facial and head pains that can last for days and even months. They can be difficult to treat successfully.