Commonly Abused Drugs
Commonly Abused Drugs
Prescription Sedatives (tranquilizers, depressants)
Medications that slow brain activity, which makes them useful for
treating anxiety and sleep problems.
Street Names | Commercial Names | Common Forms | Common Ways Taken | DEA Schedule |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barbs, Phennies, Red Birds, Reds, Tooies, Yellow Jackets, Yellows | Barbiturates: pentobarbital (Nembutal®), phenobarbital (Luminal®) | Pill, capsule, liquid | Swallowed, injected | II, III, IV |
Candy, Downers, Sleeping Pills, Tranks | Benzodiazepines: alprazolam (Xanax®), chlorodiazepoxide (Limbitrol®), diazepam (Valium®), lorazepam (Ativan®), triazolam (Halicon®) | Pill, capsule, liquid | Swallowed, injected | IV |
Forget-me Pill, Mexican Valium, R2, Roche, Roofies, Roofinol, Rope, Rophies | Sleep Medications: eszopiclone (Lunesta®), zaleplon (Sonata®), zolpidem (Ambien®) | Pill, capsule, liquid | Swallowed, injected | IV |
Possible Health Effects | ||||
Short-term | Drowsiness, slurred speech, poor concentration, confusion, dizziness, problems with movement and memory, lowered blood pressure, slowed breathing. | |||
Long-term | Unknown. | |||
Other Health-related Issues |
Sleep medications are sometimes used as date rape drugs. Risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases from shared needles. |
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In Combination with Alcohol | Further slows heart rate and breathing, which can lead to death. | |||
Withdrawal Symptoms | Must be discussed with a health care provider; barbiturate withdrawal can cause a serious abstinence syndrome that may even include seizures. | |||
Treatment options | ||||
Medications | There are no FDA-approved medications to treat addiction to prescription sedatives; lowering the dose over time must be done with the help of a health care provider. | |||
Behavioral Therapies | More research is needed to find out if behavioral therapies can be used to treat addiction to prescription sedatives. |