Depressant substances reduce arousal and stimulation. They do not necessarily make a person feel depressed. They affect the central nervous system, slowing down the messages between the brain and the body. They can affect concentration and coordination. In small doses they can cause a person to feel more relaxed and less inhibited. Usage depends on the specific type of depressant, for example, alcohol is drunk but benzodiazepines are usually swallowed and can also be injected.
Generally, depressants can be swallowed, drunk as a beverage, injected, snorted or inhaled. There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk. The onset and effects of depressants vary according to the type and specific chemical. Keep reading: Lorazepam vs. Everyone feels sad from time to time, but it can be frustrating when there's no underlying reason.
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Mental Health. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. The central nervous system CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord. Continue reading to learn more about CNS depression and the warning signs of trouble.
What are the symptoms of CNS depression? What causes CNS depression? Although the different classes of depressants work in unique ways, it is through their ability to increase GABA—and thereby inhibit brain activity—that they produce a drowsy or calming effect.
Though initially a stimulant, alcohol ultimately depresses the brain, resulting in relaxation and impaired judgment. Alcohol as a depressant : Alcohol depresses the brain, resulting in relaxation and impaired judgment. Barbiturates are effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, and also have an analgesic painkiller effect.
However, they are commonly misused, physically addictive, and have serious potential for overdose. In the late s, it became clear that the social cost of barbiturates was beginning to outweigh the medical benefits, which sparked a serious search for a class of replacement drugs. Most people still using barbiturates today do so to prevent seizures or for relief of migraine symptoms. Barbiturates have been largely replaced by benzodiazepines, because the latter have fewer side effects and less potential for lethal overdoses.
However, barbiturates are still used as anti-convulsants e. Benzodiazepines enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA at the GABA receptor, resulting in sedative, hypnotic sleep-inducing , anxiolytic anti-anxiety , anticonvulsant, and muscle-relaxant properties. Amnesic-dissociative actions are also seen in the applied pharmacology of high doses of many shorter-acting benzodiazepines.
These properties make benzodiazepines useful in treating anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal, and as a premedication for medical or dental procedures. Some of the most common benzodiazepines are anti-anxiety medications, such as clonazepam Klonopin , alprazolam Xanax , diazepam Valium , and zolpidem Ambien.
Although cannabis or marijuana is often considered either in its own unique category or as a mild psychedelic, the drug—notably the chemical compound cannabidiol that it contains—nevertheless has many depressant effects such as muscle relaxation, sedation, decreased alertness, and tiredness.
There are at least 85 different cannabinoids isolated from cannabis, the most common of which is THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Cannabinoids can be administered by smoking, vaporizing, oral ingestion, transdermal patch, intravenous injection, sublingual absorption, or rectal suppository.
Once in the body, most cannabinoids are metabolized in the liver. An opioid is any psychoactive chemical that resembles morphine or other opiates in its pharmacological effects.
One of the oldest known drugs, opioids induce an analgesic painkiller effect by decreasing perception of pain, decreasing reaction to pain, and increasing pain tolerance. Known for their highly addictive quality, opioids work by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
The most common opioids in modern history are morphine, heroin, and codeine, which are known as incredibly effective, albeit addictive, painkillers.
As opposed to these naturally occurring opioids that are derived directly from the resin of the poppy plant, synthetic opioids are synthesized chemically in the laboratory and are agents commonly used in pain relief, treating drug dependence and anesthesia. Some examples include hydrocodone and oxycodone. In the United States, it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives. The term is, today, imprecisely defined and typically has negative connotations.
From a medical standpoint, it is no longer a useful term. Stimulants are widely used throughout the world as prescription medicines and as illicit substances of recreational use or abuse. Stimulants increase the activity of the central nervous system the brain and spinal cord , the sympathetic nervous system part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the fight-or-flight response , or both.
Common effects, which vary depending on the substance in question, may include enhanced alertness, awareness, wakefulness, endurance, productivity, and motivation. Effects can also include an increase in arousal, locomotion, heart rate, and blood pressure, and the perception of diminished requirements for food and sleep. Some stimulants produce a sense of euphoria, especially those that exert influence on the central nervous system.
Stimulants exert their effects through a number of different mechanisms. Others block the action of certain receptors such as the adenosine receptors in a process known as receptor antagonism. Both opiates and opioids work by interfering with the CNS and blocking pain signals to the brain. Doctors may prescribe these drugs for pain relief. Given their strength and addictive qualities, only people who have a severe condition should use them.
Some of these substances, for example, codeine, are present in medications for coughs or diarrhea. Doctors will prescribe these for short-term use only. Some people also use opioids and opiates, such as heroin, as recreational drugs. Common street names include H, smack, oxy, and China white. These are a treatment option for conditions that can include stress reactions, panic attacks , sleep disorders, and convulsions.
Benzodiazepines can also be a drug of abuse. Street names include benzos, downers, and chill pills. In , the Food and Drug Administration FDA strengthened their warning that benzodiazepine use can lead to addiction.
Combined with alcohol, opiods, and other CNS depressants, they can be life-threatening. These can treat seizure disorders and anxiety, but doctors rarely prescribe them nowadays. Before surgery, they may promote sleep and relaxation. As a recreational drug, people sometimes call them barbs, downers, or phennies, among other names. Sexual and violent crime are other areas where people are known to misuse CNS depressants. Xyrem is easily hidden in drinks, as it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless when mixed with liquid.
Mixing CNS depressants, opioids, and alcohol increases their effect. There may be severe adverse reactions and possibly life-threatening consequences. Sometimes, a person may not realize they are at risk of an overdose, such as when they use opioid pain relief medication and then drink alcohol. Prescription benzodiazepines and opioids carry the highest level of warning from the U. People should check first with their doctor to find out if it is safe to take CNS depressant medication and any of the following:.
Tricyclic and tetracyclic TCA antidepressants can also intensify the effects of CNS depressants, especially drowsiness. Some CNS depressants become less effective over time, so that a person may feel the need to take a larger dose.
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