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.
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.