Which drugs are depressants

Benzodiazepines and barbiturates are types of tranquilizers. They are commonly used to treat:. Tranquilizers may be prescribed to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms or used on a taper schedule for tranquilizer withdrawal. Barbiturates were once prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, but they became widely abused and caused significant numbers of overdose.

When benzodiazepines were developed, barbiturates were prescribed less often. Today, barbiturates are mostly used in clinics or hospitals. Benzodiazepines include:. Sedatives hypnotics are primarily used as sleep aids, although benzodiazepines like Xanax are also used for this purpose. Like benzos, sedative drugs also work on GABA and have actions. In some cases, sedatives are used for decreasing mild levels of anxiety, but they are not commonly prescribed for this purpose. Ethyl alcohol EtOH , the alcohol that is contained in alcoholic beverages, is also a powerful central nervous system depressant that has many actions similar to the prescription drugs above.

Alcohol can:. Mixing stimulants and depressants can be dangerous. This thinking is misguided. The dangers of mixing stimulants and depressants depend on the types of substances, quantities, and your individual physical make-up, but may include:. Misuse of a medication is using the medication for a reason other than its medicinal or prescribed purpose. Abuse is a chronic pattern of misuse. The only other drug more used than alcohol is caffeine.

Despite alcohol being a legal drug, it has an extremely high potential for abuse and addiction. In addition to the risk of abuse, alcohol can cause a person to engage in dangerous situations. You may wonder, what can happen by mixing alcohol and other depressants?

It can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening if too much is taken. Although the temporary positive effects of mixing alcohol with other depressants are desirable for some, the negative side effects can be deadly. One of the most commonly used prescription drugs that are used in the U. Some opioids are used for the treatment of opioid addiction, such as methadone. There are many different types of opioids, including legal prescription medications such as hydrocodone and codeine, and other illegal street drugs, such as heroin.

What exactly do depressants do to your body? In general, when small to low doses of depressants are taken, the following effects may be experienced:. Drug and alcohol addiction is a growing problem that is getting worse in the United States and all over the world. When someone uses a substance excessively, and cannot function without it, it could indicate that they have a problem or substance use disorder.

Addiction not only affects your physical health, but your mental health as well and using drugs all the time can even be life-threatening. Other warning signs include:. The best form of prevention of becoming addicted is to stick with short-term treatment, and if things seem to be getting bad, you should reach out for help right away. AToN Center offers drug and alcohol treatment therapy for all different types of substance use disorders. Our drug treatment and care is one of the best in the country, and we treat each person that walks into our facility individually.

Depressants work by slowing the brain's activity. During the first few days of taking a depressant, a person usually feels sleepy and uncoordinated. With continuing use, the body becomes used to these effects and they become less noticeable.

This is known as tolerance, which means a person has to take more of the drug to get the same effects. People can become physically dependent while taking prescription depressants, and to avoid uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal , they can work with their doctor to stop taking the drugs on a slow timetable.

If you have been using depressants regularly and try to suddenly stop, your brain activity might race out of control to the point where it causes seizures. It is important to note that misusing depressants can lead to both physical dependence and addiction, which is when a person continues to use a drug despite negative consequences.

Previous MTF Data. Explore teen substance use trends over time, by grade and substance with an interactive chart featuring Monitoring the Future data from to present. If a friend is using drugs, you might have to step away from the friendship for a while.

It is important to protect your own mental health and not put yourself in situations where drugs are being used. This lesson, provides scientific information about teen brain development and the effect of drugs and alcohol use on the brain. These community activities are designed to help students in grades 6 through 12 learn about the effects of drug use These school activities are designed to help students in grades 6 through 12 learn about the effects of drug use Content on this site is available for your use and may be reproduced in its entirety without permission from NIDA.

Department of Health and Human Services. There is no worse feeling than knowing that your friend is dead because you gave him pills you knew relatively little about. Learn the Truth About Drugs, enroll in the free online courses. Find out the truth about prescription drugs. Get the facts. Request your free copy of the booklet, Prescription Drug Abuse. Sign the pledge and lead the way to a drug-free life.

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