Overview of Central Nervous System Depressants (CNS Depressants)
CNS Depressants Slow down the operations of the brain. They first
affect those areas of the brain that control a person's conscious, voluntary actions. As
dosage increases, depressants begin to affect the part of the brain controlling automatic,
unconscious processes, such as heartbeat and respiration.
Alcohol is the model for the CNS Depressants category of drugs. Alcohol is the most familiar, and most
widely abused, depressant. With some exceptions, all depressants affect people
in much the same way as does alcohol.
Possible Effects of CNS Depressants
Once again, alcohol is the model here. Other depressants affect people in
much the same way as does alcohol.
Reduced social inhibitions
Impaired ability to divide attention
Slow reflexes
Impaired judgment and concentration
Impaired vision and coordination
Slurred, mumbled or incoherent speech
A wide variety of emotional effects, such as euphoria, depression, suicidal, tendencies,
laughing or crying for no apparent reason, etc...
Signs and Symptoms of Depressant Overdose
Overdoses of CNS Depressants produce effects that are essentially identical to
those of alcohol overdoses.
The person becomes extremely drowsy and may pass out
Heartbeat slows
Respiration becomes shallow
skin may feel cold and clammy
Death may result from respiratory failure
Combinations of Depressants can be especially risky. Unfortunately, many people
routinely do combine depressants, usually in the form of alcohol and some other depressant.
In some cases, the effects that result may br greater than the sum of the effects
that the two drugs would produce independently.
For more information please contact TRIDENT or the links page
