Depressants are drugs that decrease the nervous system's activity. The nervous system uses many types of molecules, called neurotransmitters, to send signals back and forth throughout the body. Most drugs that are depressants exert their effects by increasing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA, short for gamma-aminobutyric acid. Some depressants are used clinically to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia.
Sedation
Depressants cause users to feel relaxed and calm at low dosages, making them one of the most highly prescribed medications to anxiety disorder sufferers. Their sedative effects are also useful to treat insomnia, and barbiturates are sometimes used to induce sedation before medical procedures or surgery.
Impaired Motor Coordination
Because depressants act to slow neurons firing in the nervous system, they cause motor skill impairment. These can include slowed reflexes, slurred speech and loss of balance. At high dosages, depressants can also affect the motor neurons responsible for stimulating the diaphragm, leading to respiratory depression.
Depression
Using depressants can affect the user's emotional state by inducing feelings of sadness or loneliness. Some users report feeling emotionally cut off or numb. Additionally, depressant can cause users to experience dramatic mood swings.
Impaired Judgement
Depressant use often results in a loss of inhibition, which can cause users to make poor choices. Historically, barbiturates in particular have been used as "truth serums" because people under the influence of these drugs often speak without thinking. Impaired judgement also might lead the user to believe that it is OK to do something he normally would not do when sober.
Tolerance
Using depressants over an extended period of time leads to drug tolerance. This results in the user needing to take a larger dose of the drug to feel the desired effects. Tolerance can lead to accidental drug overdose, coma and death.
Dependence
The nervous system is incredibly capable of adapting to the body's changing needs. When depressant users become dependent on a drug, the nervous system has adapted to operate in the continuous presence of that substance. When the user tries to stop taking the drug, she experiences withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms frequently include anxiety, insomnia, muscle tremors and sometimes convulsions or death.
References
- National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
- "Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd Edition)"; Eric Nestler, Seven Hyman and Robert Malenka; 2009
- University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research
- "Downers: Depressant Abuse"; Jason Porterfield; 2008
