Information About Depressants

Depressants come in both legal and illegal varieties. Like many medications, they can help people or can be abused. When abused, they can become addictive. One common, non-prescribed and uncontrolled depressant substance is alcohol. Taking a medicinal depressant with alcohol can dangerously increase the effect of the depressant.
Although many other illegal drugs are manufactured in illegal labs--crack houses and PCP labs, for instance--depressants usually are not. Instead, they are stolen, obtained from other countries or otherwise diverted from legal sources into the street.

Depressants

Depressants are taken to slow down the central nervous system. They are available in pill, powder or liquid form. A prescription is most commonly in pill or capsule form. However, those addicted and taking the drug illegally might take depressants intravenously or by smoking or snorting them. People abusing depressants are often taking them to reduce their inhibitions and "chill out."
A person abusing depressants may exhibit signs of slurred speech, drowsiness, confusion and impaired coordination, and have poor concentration. His pulse will be slowed and his blood pressure lowered.
Two of the oldest, still prescribed depressants are choral hydrate and paraldehyde. Two other groups, barbiturates and benzodiazepines, have dominated the sales of depressants--including those sold legally as prescriptions and those sold illegally on the drug market.

Barbiturates

This class of depressant is commonly prescribed for insomnia and anxiety. Barbiturates have been in use since the early 1900s and were the most popular type of depressant for the first half of the 20th century. They have been prescribed as sedatives, anesthetics, hypnotics and anticonvulsants. Today, about a dozen barbiturates are still prescribed but only accounts for about 10 percent of depressant prescriptions. Some medications include amytal, nembutal and phenobarbital--which is also used in the asthma medication Tedral.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines were originally marketed in the 1960s. They are prescribed to induce sleep, relieve anxiety, prevent seizures, produce sedation and relieve muscle spasms. In high doses, benzodiazepines act as hypnotics; in moderate doses, they act as anxiolytics (drugs which produce an anti-anxiety effect); in low doses, they act as sedatives. About 15 drugs belonging to the benzodiazepine class are available in the United States. Approximately another 20 benzodiazepines are available in other countries.
Valium and Xanax, two common prescriptions in the U.S., are benzodiazepines. The drugs work by enhancing the effects of GABA, a natural chemical occurring in the body. Other benzodiazepines, used as anticonvulsants, include clorazepate, diazepam and clonazepam (brand name Klonopin).

Dangerous Sedatives

Two sedatives illegal in the U.S. are Flunitrazepam (known as Rohypnol) and GHB (gamma hydroxybutryate acid). Flunitrazepam (a benzodiazepine class of drug) and GHB are both linked with crimes of sexual assault. As such, they are referred to as date-rape drugs. One of Rohypnol's effects is anterograde amnesia, meaning short-term memory, or more specifically those events occurring while Rohypnol is in the system, will be lost.

Street Names for Depressants

When depressants are sold on the street, whether of the legal or illegal variety, they may be referred to in slang terms. Some terms that have been or are still in use include barbs, tranks, phennies, candy, downers, R2, reds, red birds, yellows, yellow-jackets, Roche, rope, roofies, roofinol, rophies, forget-me-pills, sleeping pills, tooies and Mexican Valium.
Inhalants may be called whippets. Alcohol has its own list of slang, including booze, hooch, shine, rotgut, firewater, giggle juice, juice, sauce, hard stuff, junkst, brews and beast.