Home --> Prevention Dictionary Depressants

Depressants are substances that depress the activity of the central nervous system. They are often referred to as “downers” because of their sedative, hypnotic and tranquilizing effects.

Drugs That Fit Into This Category Include

Barbiturates: pentobarbital (Nembutal®), phenobarbital (Luminal®)

Benzodiazepines: alprazolam (Xanax®), chlorodiazepoxide (Limbitrol®), diazepam (Valium®), lorazepam (Ativan®), triazolam (Halicon®)

Sleep Medications: eszopiclone (Lunesta®), zaleplon (Sonata®), zolpidem (Ambien®)

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What Do They Look Like?

Xanax

Valium

Ambien

Nembutal

Common Street Names

Downers, Nerve Pills, Tranks, Benzos, BZDs, Stupefy, Tranx, Qual, Heavenly Blues, Valley Girl, Goofballs, Moggies, Candy, Z Bars, Sleepers, School Bus, Dead Flower Powers

Common Forms

Pills

Capsule

Liquid

Common Ways Taken

Swallowed

Injected

Possible Health Effects

Short Term:  Drowsiness, slurred speech, poor concentration, confusion, dizziness, problems with movement and memory, lowered blood pressure, slowed breathing.

Long-term: Unknown.

Other Health-related Issues: Sleep medications are sometimes used as date rape drugs.

In Combination with Alcohol: Further slows heart rate and breathing, which can lead to death.

Withdrawal Symptoms: Must be discussed with a health care provider; barbiturate withdrawal can cause a serious abstinence syndrome that may even include seizures.

Overdose Symptoms: Drowsiness, Confusion, Dizziness, Blurred vision, Weakness, Slurred speech, Lack of coordination, Difficulty breathing, Coma

Treatment Options

Medications: There are no FDA-approved medications to treat addiction to prescription sedatives; lowering the dose over time must be done with the help of a health care provider.

Behavioral Therapies: More research is needed to find out if behavioral therapies can be used to treat addiction to prescription sedatives.