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* [[Anticholinergic]]s ([[Atropine]], [[hyoscyamine]], [[scopolamine]], etc) |
* [[Anticholinergic]]s ([[Atropine]], [[hyoscyamine]], [[scopolamine]], etc) |
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* [[Antihistamine]]s ([[Diphenhydramine]], [[doxylamine]], [[promethazine]], etc) |
* [[Antihistamine]]s ([[Diphenhydramine]], [[doxylamine]], [[promethazine]], etc) |
Revision as of 01:12, 29 October 2010
Depressants are psychoactive drugs which temporarily reduce the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind.[1] Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them, depressants are also occasionally referred to as "downers". Stimulants or "uppers", which increase mental and/or physical function, are in stark contrast to depressants and are considered to be their functional opposites. Depressants are widely used throughout the world as prescription medicines and as illicit substances. When these are used, effects may include anxiolysis, analgesia, sedation, somnolence, cognitive/memory impairment, dissociation, muscle relaxation, lowered blood pressure/heart rate, respiratory depression, anesthesia, and anticonvulsant effects. Some are also capable of inducing feelings of euphoria. Depressants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of GABA and/or opioid activity, and inhibition of adrenergic, histamine and/or acetylcholine activity.
Indications
Depressants are used both individually and clinically for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of a number of indications, including the following :
- To reduce feelings of anxiety, panic,and stress.
- To induce sleepiness and relieve insomnia.
- To induce analgesia and relieve aches and pains.
- To reduce convulsions/seizures in the treatment of epilepsy.
- To cause muscle relaxation for those with muscle pain or spasms.
- To lower blood pressure and/or heart rate.
- To boost the mood and/or enhance sociability.
- To stimulate the Central Nervous System
Types
Alcohol
Barbituarates
Barbiturates are effective in relieving the conditions they are designed to address; they are also readily abused, physically addictive, and have serious potential for overdose. When, in the late 1950s, it became clear that the social cost of barbiturates were beginning to outweigh the medical benefits, a serious search began for a replacement drug. (See Methaqualone) Most people still using barbiturates today do so in the prevention of seizures or in mild form for relief from the symptoms of migraines.
Benzodiazepines
=== Miscellaneous === ami's word copyright. (c)
- Anticholinergics (Atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine, etc)
- Antihistamines (Diphenhydramine, doxylamine, promethazine, etc)
- Antipsychotics (Haloperidol, chlorpromazine, clozapine, etc)
- Beta Blockers (Propanolol, atenolol, etc)
- Dissociatives (Dextromethorphan, ketamine, phencyclidine, nitrous oxide, etc)
- Muscle Relaxants (Carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine, etc)
- Nonbenzodiazepines (Zaleplon, zolpidem, zopiclone, etc)
Opioids
Combinations
Combining multiple depressants can be very dangerous because the CNS depressive properties has been proposed to increase exponentially instead of linearly. This characteristic makes depressants a common choice for deliberate overdoses in the case of suicide. The use of alcohol or benzodiazepines along with the usual dose of heroin is often the cause of overdose deaths in opiate addicts.
See also
References
- ^ "MSDS Glossary". Retrieved 2009-01-01.
External links
- Painfully Obvious - A Community Resource
- Fact sheets and Harm Reduction Strategies About Depressants and Other Recreational Drugs
- U.S. Department of Human and Health Services: Drug Categories for Substances of Abuse
- About Psychotropic Medications: Quick Reference to Medications Used in Mental Health