Depressants Sides Effects

Includes barbiturates (barbs), benzodiazepines (benzos) and
sedative-hypnotics.
Depressants will put you to sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle
spasms, and prevent seizures.Barbiturates are older drugs and
include butalbital (Fiorina®), phenobarbital, Pentothal®,
Seconal® and Nembutal®. You can rapidly develop dependence
on and tolerance to barbiturates, meaning you need more and
more of them to feel and function normally. This makes them
unsafe, increasing the likelihood of coma or death.
Benzodiazepines were developed to replace barbiturates, though they still share many of the undesirable side effects.
Some examples are Valium®, Xanax®, Halcion®, Ativan®, Klonopin® and Restoril®. Rohypnol® is a benzodiazepine
that is not manufactured or legally marketed in the United States, but it is used illegally. Ambien® and Sonata® are
sedative-hypnotic medications approved for the short-term treatment of insomnia that share many of the properties of
benzodiazepines. Other CNS depressants include meprobamate, methaqualone (Quaalude®), and the illicit drug GHB.

• Street names:

Barbs, Benzos, Downers, Georgia Home Boy, GHB, Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid X, Nerve Pills, Phennies, R2, Reds, 
Roofies, Rophies, Tranks, Yellows.


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Depressants come in the form of pills, syrups, and injectable liquids.
Methods of abuse
Individuals abuse depressants to experience euphoria. Depressants are also used with other drugs to add to the other
drugs’ high or to deal with their side effects. Abusers take higher doses than people taking the drugs under a doctor’s
supervision for therapeutic purposes. Depressants like GHB and Rohypnol® are also misused to facilitate sexual
assault.

• Affect on mind:

Depressants used therapeutically do what they are prescribed for to put you to sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle
spasms, and prevent seizures. They also: cause amnesia, leaving no memory of events that occur while under the
influence, reduce your reaction time, impair mental functioning and judgment, and cause confusion. Long-term use of
depressants produces psychological dependence and tolerance.

• Affect on body:

Some depressants can relax the muscles. Unwanted physical effects include slurred speech, loss of motor
coordination, weakness, headache, lightheadedness, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure,
and slowed breathing. Prolonged use of depressants can lead to physical dependence even at doses recommended for
medical treatment. Unlike barbiturates, large doses of benzodiazepines are rarely fatal unless combined with other
drugs or alcohol. But unlike the withdrawal syndrome seen with most other drugs of abuse, withdrawal from
depressants can be life threatening. drugs or alcohol. But unlike the withdrawal syndrome seen with most other drugs of abuse, withdrawal from
depressants can be life threatening.

• Drugs causing similar effects:

Some antipsychotics, antihistamines, and antidepressants produce sedative effects. Alcohol’s effects are similar to
those of depressants.

• Overdose effects:

High doses of depressants or use of them with alcohol or other drugs can slow heart rate and breathing enough to
cause death.

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