What Are Depressants?

1. What Are Depressants? • A depressant, referred to in slang as a "downer," is a chemical agent that diminishes the function or activity of a specific part of the body. (See also sedative.) The term is used in particular with regard to the central nervous system (CNS). Alcohol (consumed in alcoholic beverages) is the most obvious example of a depressant. Many depressants acting on the CNS do so by increasing the activity of a particular neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), although other targets such as the NMDA receptor, mu-opioid receptor and CB1 cannabinoid receptor can also be important, depending on which drug is involved.

2. Alcohol (ethanol)  Beer Wine Alcohol Barbiturates  Aprobarbital >> Alurate Amobarbital >> Amytal Amylbarbial & Secobarbital >> Tuinal Butabarbital >> Buticaps, Butisol, Butalan Butarlbital >> Esgic, Fiorinal Hexobarbital >> Sombulex Pentobarbital >> Nembutal Phenobarbital >> Solfoton Secobarbital >> Seconal Thiopental >> Pentothal Benzodiazepines  Alprazolam >> Xanax Chlorazepate >> Tranxene Chlordiazepoxide >> Librium Clonazepam >> Klonopin Diazepam >> Valium, Ducene Flunitrazepam >> Rohypnol Flurazepam >> Dalamane Halazepam >> Paxipam Lorazepan >> Ativan Nitrazepam >> Alodorm, Mogadon Oxazepam >> Alepam, Murelax, Serepax Prazepam >> Centrax Quazepam >> Doral Temazepam >> Euhypnos, Normison, Restoril Triazolam >> Halciom Common Depressants

3. The Demographics of Depressants • Although depressant use has declined in recent surveys (which show prior-month use of tranquilizers by U.S. adults fell from 4,200,000 in 1985 to 1,817,000 by 2005), the U.S. introduction of Ambien in 1993 helped fuel a massive surge in the use of sleeping aids. To date, more than 12 billion doses of Ambien have been prescribed worldwide. • Several studies conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, or NIDA, suggest that prescription drug abuse is on the rise in the United States. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 1.6 million Americans first tried prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes in 1998. Between 1990 and 1998, the number of people who used tranquilizers increased by 132%, and the number of new sedative users increased by 90%. In 1999, an estimated four million people —almost 2% of the population aged 12 and older— by 2001 were using prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes. Sedatives and tranquilizers were used by 1.3 million of these people.

4. The Demographics of Depressants [Cont.] • Misuse of prescribed medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly, according to the NIDA. Older people are given prescriptions approximately three times more often than the general population, and have poorer compliance with directions for use. • The National Household Survey on Drug Abuseindicates the steepest increase in new users of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes occur in 12- to 17- and 18- to 25-year-olds. Among 12- to 14-year-olds, psychoactive medications, including anti-anxiety drugs, were reportedly among the primary drugs used. • The 1999 Monitoring the Future Survey, a yearly survey of drug use and related attitudes conducted among eighth, 10th and 12th graders nationwide, found that for barbiturates, tranquilizers, and narcotics other than heroin, long-term declines in use during the 1980s leveled off in the early 1990s, with modest increases in use starting again in the mid-1990s.

5. The Demographics of Depressants • Overall, men and women have approximately equal rates of non-medical use of prescription drugs, with the exception of 12- to 17-year-olds. In this age category, young women are more likely to use psychoactive drugs non-medically. Also, among women and men who use anti-anxiety drugs non-medically, women are almost twice as likely to become addicted. • GHB-related emergency room visits increased from 55 in 1994 to 2,973 in 1999, according to the NIDA. There were 13 reported Rohypnol-related emergency room visits in 1994, versus 634 in 1998. The number decreased to 540 in 1999. Ketamine-related emergency room visits rose from a reported 19 in 1994 to 396 in 1999. Recent use have been reported more frequently among white youth in many major metropolitan areas.