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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Office of the Surgeon General (US). Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health [Internet]. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2016 Nov.
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health [Internet].
Show detailsPrescription Sedatives (Tranquilizers, Depressants)
| Medications that slow brain activity, which makes them useful for treating anxiety and sleep problems.i | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Commercial Names | Street Names | Common Forms | Common Ways Taken | DEA Schedule / Legal Status |
| Barbiturates: pentobarbital (Nembutal®), phenobarbital (Luminal®) | Barbs, Phennies, Red Birds, Reds, Tooies, Yellow Jackets, Yellows | Pill, capsule, liquid | Ingested, injected | Schedule II, III, IV / Legal by prescription only |
| Benzodiazepines: alprazolam (Xanax®), chlorodiazepoxide (Limbitrol®), diazepam (Valium®), lorazepam (Ativan®), triazolam (Halicon®) | Candy, Downers, Sleeping Pills, Tranks | Pill, capsule, liquid | Ingested, snorted | Schedule IV / Legal by prescription only |
| Sleep Medications: eszopiclone (Lunesta®), zaleplon (Sonata®), zolpidem (Ambien®) | Forget-me Pill, Mexican Valium, R2, Roche, Roofies, Roofinol, Rope, Rophies | Pill, capsule, liquid | Ingested, snorted | Schedule IV / Legal by prescription only |
| Uses & Possible Health Effectsii | ||||
| Short-term Symptoms of Use | Drowsiness, sedation; slurred speech; poor concentration, confusion, dizziness; clammy skin; impaired judgment, coordination and memory; reduced anxiety; lowered blood pressure; slowed breathing and central nervous system; coma, and death. | |||
| Long-term Consequences of Use and Health Effects | Increased risk of respiratory distress. | |||
| 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 | Dangerous slowdown of heart rate and breathing, coma, and death. | |||
| Withdrawal Symptoms | Must be discussed with a health care professional; barbiturate withdrawal can cause a serious abstinence syndrome that may even include seizures. | |||
| Medical Useiii | For tranquilization, sedation, and sleep. | |||
| Treatment Optionsiv | ||||
| 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 professional. | |||
| Behavioral Therapies | More research is needed to determine if behavioral therapies can be used to treat addiction to prescription sedatives. | |||
| Statistics as of 2015v | ||||
| Prevalence | Lifetime: Data not collected. Past Year:
| |||
| Average Age of Initiation | Sedatives: 28.3 Tranquilizers: 25.9 | |||
- i
Source: NIDA, (2016).
- ii
Sources: NIDA, (2016) & DEA, (2015).
- iii
Source: SAMHSA, (2004).
- iv
Source: NIDA, (2016).
- v
Source: CBHSQ, (2016).
- [Table], Prescription Sedatives (Tranquilizers, Depressants) - Facing Addiction ...[Table], Prescription Sedatives (Tranquilizers, Depressants) - Facing Addiction in America
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