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The Effects of Depressants

Physical Effects



When someone takes a depressant, he or she feels very relaxed. This feeling may cause the user to feel high, even though a depressant slows the body down. Later effects include slurred speech, loss of inhibitions, and slowed reactions. The eyes become lazy, move jerkily, and have difficulty focusing.



Depressants cause more than half of all accidental poisonings. That is because many abusers do not realize that the effects of these drugs can multiply when taken with other depressants. For example, if someone drinks alcohol and takes a barbiturate, the effect may be ten times stronger than thatof either the barbiturate or the alcohol taken alone.

Depressants produce severe withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, tremors, delirium, convulsions, and possible death. These withdrawal symptoms contribute to the dangerous cycle of depressant abuse. That is, abusers take more drugs to avoid suffering withdrawal symptoms. Physical dependence on barbiturates is one of the most dangerous of all drug dependencies.

Barbiturates and benzodiazepines, more than other drugs, become more dangerous with each use. Every time abusers increase the amount of any such drug, they come closer to the point at which the drug can kill them. The higher a person's tolerance, the higher the risk for overdose and death. Although the body develops a tolerance for the intoxicating effects of the drugs, it does not have a tolerance for their lethal effects. Therefore, when the body's tolerance increases, it craves more of the drug to feel a certain way; but that doesn't mean the body can handle larger amounts. An addict may overdose trying to achieve the earlier result.

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Science EncyclopediaCommon Street DrugsThe Effects of Depressants - Physical Effects, Psychological Effects, Denial, Codependency - DEPRESSION