Depressants are a type of drug that diminish activity in the central nervous system. They include alcohol and prescription drugs such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The Partnership for a Drug-Free American points out that marijuana and certain inhalants such as nitrous oxide are depressants as well. Depressant users can experience short-term and long-term effects. Taking heavy doses of depressants can result in severe effects.
Changes in Mental Status
Depressants cause changes to the brain, increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid which inhibits brain activity. Medically, depressants help with sleeping and anxiety problems, causing patients to feel calm and relaxed. But depressants can also affect users' mental status in a negative way. For example, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America notes that impaired memory and judgment can occur as short-term effects of depressant use. Users may have problems concentrating and experience confusion and fatigue. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information adds that large amounts of depressant can cause loss of consciousness and coma.
Breathing Problems
Depressants can cause breathing problems for users. For example, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America notes that depressant users can have slowed breathing and a slowed pulse. When users take large amounts of the drug, breathing can grow even weaker. Some users may have respiratory depression, in which they do not get enough air. Other users may have respiratory arrest, in which they stop breathing altogether. Death may result if emergency medical care is not sought.
Effects on Newborns
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information explains that when a pregnant woman uses a depressant, the drug can have effects on the newborn. For example, infants affected by depressants can have birth defects and behavioral problems. Since the newborns have the drug in their system, they can also have a drug dependence. Newborns may show depressant withdrawal symptoms as well as anxiety, muscle tremors and insomnia.
Other Effects
Depressants can affect many body functions. When people take depressants, they can have impaired coordination, which affects their ability to move. Some users may fall when they are high off the drug. Other short-term effects of depressants include slurred speech and lower blood pressure. As people continue to use more of the drug, they can develop addiction. While depressants can treat insomnia when used under a doctor's order, a long-term effect of heavy depressant use includes chronic sleep problems, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Depressants can cause impaired sexual function as well.
