See also sedative. A sedative is a drug that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), which causes calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. ...

A depressant is a chemical agent that diminishes the function or activity. The term is used in particular with regard to the central nervous system (CNS). In that case these chemicals are known as neurotransmitters. Depressants intended to act on the CNS do so by increasing the activity of a particular neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another cell. ... Chemical structure of GABA Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter in widely divergent species. ...

GABA's task is to calm the CNS and to promote sleep. Drugs that stimulate the production of this amino acid produce slowed brain activity and a drowsy or calm feeling, and so depressants are generally prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety or insomnia. Internal systems regulate the body's production of GABA, but when medication is taken to stimulate GABA production, it is possible to induce hazardously high levels, which can dangerously slow breathing and heart rates, and may result in death. In an ideal situation, sleep should be undisturbed and experienced in the same room every night Sleep is the regular state of natural rest observed in all mammals, birds and fish. ... In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. ... Anxiety is a complex combination of negative emotion that includes fear, apprehension and worry, and is often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain and/or shortness of breath. ... It has been suggested that Primary insomnia be merged into this article or section. ... A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ...

CNS depressants require a period of adaptation. Typically, initial side effects include slurred speech, dizziness, and loss of coordination, in many respects similar to the effects of alcohol (which is itself a CNS depressant). The eye is an adaptation. ... A side-effect is any effect other than an intended primary effect. ... In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-kukhūl الكحول = the spirit, the chemical.) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ...

Depressants generally fall into two classes, barbiturates and benzodiazepines, but also include narcotics (or opioids) and sedative-hypnotics. Also there is tranquilizers. Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. ... The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. ... The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word narkotikos, meaning benumbing or deadening, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). ... An opioid is any agent that binds to opioid receptors found principally in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. ... A sedative is a drug that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), which causes calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. ... Hypnotic drugs are a class of drugs that induce sleep, used in the treatment of severe insomnia. ...

Barbiturates are effective in relieving the conditions they are designed to address; they are also readily abused, and when, in the late 1960s, it became clear that the social cost of barbiturates was beginning to outweigh the medical benefit, a serious search began for a replacement drug. Most people who use barbiturates have sezures. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Social cost, in economics, is the total of all the costs associated with an economic activity. ...

Benzodiazepines mediate the same symptoms as barbiturates, but without the same degree of toxic hazard. This is not to say they are not without their own risks; where barbiturates pose a greater "front-end" risk in that overdose or drug/alcohol interactions may result in fatality, benzodiazepines pose a greater "back-end" risk in the possibility of addiction and serious physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Even so, any suggestion that it is safe to consume alcohol while using benzodiazepines, or to attempt to stop barbiturate use "cold turkey" is foolish in the extreme. Addiction is a compulsion to repeat a behaviour regardless of its consequences. ... When something that generates a physical or a psychological dependency — a behavior or the use of a substance — is stopped or withdrawn from, some type of withdrawal symptoms almost always follow. ... Cold turkey is a term describing the actions of a person who gives up his habit or addiction at a single moment, rather than through gradually easing the process through tapering off or supplemental medication. ...

See also

• Psychoactive drug
• Alcohol

A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical that alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behavior. ... In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-kukhūl الكحول = the spirit, the chemical.) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ...

External links

• Painfully Obvious - A Community Resource
• Rimrock Foundation Addiction Treatment Center - Depressants (in Adobe PDF format)