Depressants Depressants are psychoactive drugs that temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind. Colloquially, depressants are known as "downers", and users generally take them to feel more relaxed and less tense. Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Depressants are widely used throughout the world as
prescription medicines and as
illicit substances. When these are used, effects may include
anxiolysis (reduction of anxiety),
analgesia (pain relief),
sedation,
somnolence, cognitive/memory impairment,
dissociation, muscle relaxation, lowered
blood pressure/
heart rate,
respiratory depression,
anesthesia, and
anticonvulsant effects. Depressants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include potentiation of
GABA or
opioid activity, and inhibition of
adrenergic,
histamine or
acetylcholine activity. Some are also capable of inducing feelings of
euphoria. The most widely used depressant by far is
alcohol (i.e.
ethanol). Stimulants or "uppers", such as
amphetamines or
cocaine, which increase mental or physical function, have an opposite effect to depressants. Depressants, in particular alcohol, can precipitate
psychosis. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis by Murrie et al. found that the rate of transition from opioid, alcohol and
sedative induced psychosis to schizophrenia was 12%, 10% and 9% respectively.
Antihistamines Antihistamines (or "histamine antagonists") inhibit the release or action of
histamine. "Antihistamine" can be used to describe any histamine antagonist, but the term is usually reserved for the
classical antihistamines that act upon the
H1 histamine receptor. Antihistamines are used as treatment for
allergies. Allergies are caused by an excessive response of the body to
allergens, such as the
pollen released by grasses and trees. An allergic reaction causes release of histamine by the body. Other uses of antihistamines are to help with normal symptoms of insect stings even if there is no allergic reaction. Their recreational appeal exists mainly due to their
anticholinergic properties, that induce
anxiolysis and, in some cases such as
diphenhydramine,
chlorpheniramine, and
orphenadrine, a characteristic euphoria at moderate doses. High dosages taken to induce recreational drug effects may lead to overdoses. Antihistamines are also consumed in combination with alcohol, particularly by youth who find it hard to obtain alcohol. The combination of the two drugs can cause intoxication with lower alcohol doses. Hallucinations and possibly delirium resembling the effects of
Datura stramonium can result if the drug is taken in much higher than therapeutic doses. Antihistamines are widely available over the counter at drug stores (without a prescription), in the form of allergy medication and some
cough medicines. They are sometimes used in combination with other substances such as alcohol. The most common unsupervised use of antihistamines in terms of volume and percentage of the total is perhaps in parallel to the medicinal use of some antihistamines to extend and intensify the effects of opioids and depressants. The most commonly used are
hydroxyzine, mainly to extend a supply of other drugs, as in medical use, and the above-mentioned ethanolamine and alkylamine-class first-generation antihistamines, which are – once again as in the 1950s – the subject of medical research into their anti-depressant properties. For all of the above reasons, the use of medicinal scopolamine for recreational uses is also observed.
Analgesics Analgesics (also known as "painkillers") are used to relieve
pain (achieve
analgesia). The word
analgesic derives from Greek "αν-" (
an-, "without") and "άλγος" (
álgos, "pain"). Analgesic drugs act in various ways on the
peripheral and
central nervous systems; they include
paracetamol (also known in the US as acetaminophen), the
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the
salicylates (e.g.
aspirin), and
opioid drugs such as
hydrocodone,
codeine,
heroin and
oxycodone. Some further examples of the
brand name prescription opiates and opioid analgesics that may be used recreationally include Vicodin, Lortab, Norco (hydrocodone), Avinza, Kapanol (morphine), Opana, Paramorphan (oxymorphone), Dilaudid, Palladone (hydromorphone), and OxyContin (oxycodone).
Tranquilizers The following are examples of tranquilizers (
GABAergics): •
Barbiturates •
Benzodiazepines •
Ethanol (drinking alcohol; ethyl alcohol) •
Nonbenzodiazepines • Others •
carisoprodol (Soma) •
chloral hydrate •
diethyl ether •
ethchlorvynol (Placidyl; "jelly-bellies") •
gamma-butyrolactone (GBL, a prodrug to GHB) •
gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB; G; Xyrem; "Liquid Ecstasy", "Fantasy") •
glutethimide (Doriden) •
kava (from
Piper methysticum; contains
kavalactones) •
ketamine, a
phencyclidine (PCP) analog •
meprobamate (Miltown) •
methaqualone (Sopor, Mandrax; "Quaaludes") •
phenibut •
propofol (Diprivan), a general anesthetic •
theanine (found in
Camellia sinensis, the
tea plant) •
valerian (from
Valeriana officinalis)
Stimulants is a commonly used
stimulant. Stimulants, also known as "psychostimulants", induce
euphoria with improvements in mental and physical function, such as enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion. Stimulants are also occasionally called "uppers".
Depressants or "downers", which decrease mental or physical function, are in stark contrast to stimulants and are considered to be their functional opposites. Stimulants enhance the activity of the
central and
peripheral nervous systems. Common effects may include increased
alertness,
awareness,
wakefulness,
endurance,
productivity, and
motivation,
arousal,
locomotion,
heart rate, and
blood pressure, and a diminished desire for
food and
sleep. Use of stimulants may cause the body to significantly reduce its production of endogenous compounds that fulfill similar functions. Once the effect of the ingested stimulant has worn off the user may feel depressed, lethargic, confused, and dysphoric. This is colloquially termed a "crash" and may promote reuse of the stimulant. Amphetamines are a significant cause of drug-induced psychosis. Importantly, a 2019 meta-analysis found that 22% of people with amphetamine-induced psychosis transition to a later diagnosis of schizophrenia. •
Cannabis:
Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in this plant, can have sedative and euphoric properties. • Catnip: Catnip contains a sedative known as
nepetalactone that activates opioid receptors. In cats it elicits sniffing, licking, chewing, head shaking, rolling, and rubbing which are indicators of pleasure. In humans, however, catnip does not act as a euphoriant. •
Stimulants: "Psychomotor stimulants produce locomotor activity (the subject becomes hyperactive), euphoria, (often expressed by excessive talking and garrulous behaviour), and anorexia. The amphetamines are the best known drugs in this category..." •
MDMA: The "euphoriant drugs such as
MDMA ('ecstasy') and MDEA ('eve')" are popular among young adults. MDMA "users experience short-term feelings of euphoria, rushes of energy and increased tactility" as well as interpersonal connectedness. •
Opium: This "drug derived from the unripe seed-pods of the opium poppy…produces drowsiness and euphoria and reduces pain. Morphine and codeine are opium derivatives." Opioids have led to many deaths in the United States, particularly by causing respiratory depression.
Hallucinogens Hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories:
psychedelics,
dissociatives, and
deliriants. They can cause subjective changes in
perception,
thought,
emotion and
consciousness. Unlike other psychoactive drugs such as
stimulants and
opioids, hallucinogens do not merely amplify familiar states of mind but also induce experiences that differ from those of ordinary consciousness, often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as
trance,
meditation, conversion experiences, and
dreams. Psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants have a long worldwide history of use within medicinal and religious traditions. They are used in
shamanic forms of ritual
healing and
divination, in
initiation rites, and in the religious rituals of
syncretistic movements such as
União do Vegetal,
Santo Daime,
Temple of the True Inner Light, and the
Native American Church. When used in religious practice, psychedelic drugs, as well as other substances like
tobacco, are referred to as
entheogens. Hallucinogen-induced psychosis occurs when psychosis persists despite no longer being intoxicated with the drug. It is estimated that 26% of people with hallucinogen-induced psychosis will transition to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This percentage is less than the psychosis transition rate for cannabis (34%) but higher than that of amphetamines (22%). Most inhalant drugs that are used non-medically are ingredients in household or industrial chemical products that are not intended to be concentrated and inhaled, including organic
solvents (found in cleaning products, fast-drying glues, and
nail polish removers), fuels (
gasoline (petrol) and
kerosene), and propellant gases such as
Freon and compressed
hydrofluorocarbons that are used in aerosol cans such as hairspray, whipped cream, and non-stick cooking spray. A small number of recreational inhalant drugs are pharmaceutical products that are used illicitly, such as anesthetics (
ether and nitrous oxide) Inhalant users inhale
vapor or aerosol propellant gases using plastic bags held over the mouth or by breathing from a solvent-soaked rag or an open container. The effects of inhalants range from an alcohol-like intoxication and intense euphoria to vivid
hallucinations, depending on the substance and the dosage. Some inhalant users are injured due to the harmful effects of the solvents or gases, or due to other chemicals used in the products inhaled. As with any recreational drug, users can be injured due to dangerous behavior while they are intoxicated, such as driving under the influence. Computer cleaning dusters are dangerous to inhale, because the gases expand and cool rapidly upon being sprayed. In many cases, users have died from
hypoxia (lack of oxygen), pneumonia, cardiac failure or arrest, or aspiration of vomit. Examples include: •
Chloroform •
Ethyl chloride •
Diethyl ether •
Ethane and
ethylene •
Laughing gas (
nitrous oxide) •
Poppers (
alkyl nitrites) •
Solvents and
propellants (including
propane,
butane,
freon,
gasoline,
kerosene,
toluene) along with the
fumes of
glues containing them ==List of drugs which can be smoked==