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What Are Common Depressants?

According to Street Drugs, depressants are substances that depress the activity of the body's central nervous system. Some depressants are legal, such as alcohol, and others are illegal, such as GHB. Both legal and illegal depressants can be abused, according to Street Drugs.

  1. Alcohol

    • Alcohol is one of the most common depressants. According to Kids Health, alcohol blocks messages to the brain. One alcoholic drink may make you relaxed or less anxious, but many drinks will alter a person's perceptions, movements, emotions, vision or hearing.

    Barbiturates

    • According to Medline Plus, barbiturates are depressants that cause relaxation and drowsiness. Barbiturates and alcohol often have similar effects, and barbiturates can cause memory loss, decreased interpersonal functioning, changes in alertness and irritability. It is possibile to overdose on barbiturates.

    Prescription Drugs

    • Physicians may prescribe depressant drugs for many conditions, including anxiety and sleeping disorders. Depressant prescription drugs include Xanax, Valium and Librium, according to Medline Plus. These drugs, although legal, can be abused by individuals because of their sedating properties, states Medline Plus, and this abuse can cause withdrawals and even a dependence on the drugs.

    Nitrous Oxide

    • Nitrous oxide is a depressant also known as laughing gas or an inhalant. Although its effect only lasts a few minutes, according to Just Say N20, nitrous oxide causes a person to be disoriented, have a fixated vision, deep mental connections, an increased pain threshold and a lowered vocal pitch.

    Other Common Depressants

    • According to Alcohol and Drug Information, other common depressants include chloral hydrate, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, glutethimide, meprobamate, methaqualone, pentobarbital and secobarbital.

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