Signs of Depressant Abuse
BARBITURATES, TRANQUILIZERS
- Symptoms of alcohol intoxication with no alcohol odor on breath (remember that depressants are frequently used with alcohol).
- Lack of facial expression or animation.
- Flat affect.
- Flaccid appearance.
- Slurred speech.
Note: There are few readily apparent symptoms. Abuse may be indicated by activities such as frequent visits to different physicians for prescriptions to treat "nervousness", "anxiety"," stress", etc.
Depressants
As the name implies, depressants interact to depress the activities of the central nervous system. Depressants have three categories; hypnotics which induce sleep; sedatives which do not induce sleep but produce a relaxing effect to help one fall asleep, and tranquilizers, such as Valium and Xanax, which are used to alleviate anxiety, tension, and relax muscles. Depressants can be synthesized, or occur naturally in the plants such as belladonna and curare.
Synthetic depressants are derived from barbituric acid. Barbiturates were first is covered by German chemist Adolph Von Bayer. This 1864 discovery was named "barbiturate" by Bayer, after the patron saint of artillery officers, Saint Barbara. The first barbiturate "Veronal" was marketed in 1903. Phenobarbital was later introduced in 1912. Of the 2500 varieties of barbiturates known, roughly fifty of these are marketed for a variety of medicinal applications. Of the these fifty, only a little over a dozen are predominately used.
There are also non-barbiturate based depressants such as Methaqualone , Noludar, and Doriden. These have multi-properties such as sedative, anti convulsing, local anesthetic, and cough suppressant.
The effects of barbiturates are similar to alcohol, and range from very short to very long acting. The abuser can develop a high tolerance which creates the need for escalating dosages to maintain the desired high. Barbiturates also have a high potential for dependency.
Another danger of barbiturates is the potential for automatism. Automatism is the phenomenon where the abuser takes a barbiturate, forgets they have taken it, then takes another. This cycle can be repeated until the abuser overdoses.
Barbiturates also can have the effects of potentiation and synergism. This is were the effects of a combination between two or more depressants is greater than their proportionate amount. An example would be an abuser takes together depressant "A", which has effects normally last one hour, and depressant "B", which has effects normally lasting 3 hours. When taken together, the combined effects of "A" & "B" has the potential to last much longer than the anticipated 4 hours. Additionally, barbiturate "A"'s and barbiturate "B"'s normal effect on the user may be greatly enhanced as a result of the two drugs being taken together.
If the effects of barbiturates seem severe, the withdrawal aspects are even worse. The withdrawal from depressants, and especially barbiturates, is very hazardous and potentially lethal, sometimes taking from five to eight days. These withdrawal effects include delirium, hallucinations, anxiety, tremors, weakness, abdominal cramps, nausea, delirium, spatial and time disorientation, seizures, respiratory failure, heart failure, and finally death.
Last updated on 11/30/01
