Commonly Abused Drugs
Review this page which describes the acute effects and the health risks of both legal and illegal 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. | |||