Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

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Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

• Prescription Medication Drugs

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• These drugs are often prescribed for pain,
  insomnia, depression, anxiety.
• They slow brain functioning by increasing
  activity of the neurotransmitter GABA which
  decreases brain activity and causes drowsiness
  and calmness.
• They also decrease heart rate and blood pressure.

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Prevalence

• People who abuse these drugs have usually either
  been prescribed the drug and began abusing it, or
  had a family member who was prescribed the
  medication
• Most commonly mixed with alcohol and or opiates
  such as heroin or Oxycontin.

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Use

• There has been a decline in the lifetime use of
  sedatives from a peak of 10.5 percent in 2005 to
  9.3 percent in 2007. Past year use of
  sedatives/barbiturates declined from a peak of
  7.2 percent in 2005 to 6.2 percent in 2007 .
  (www.nida.nig.gov)
• The death rate from overdose is 10 -
  complications which can arise from an overdose is
  coma and damaged fetuses in pregnant women.
• More than half of all overdoses are a result from
  mixing barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

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Short-term effects

• These drugs induce state of intoxication that is
  identical to that of being intoxicated with
  alcohol.
• Symptoms such as impaired judgment, slowed
  speech, lack of coordination, disinhibition,
  shallow breathing, staggering and aggressive
  impulses.

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Long-term effects

• Sometimes when an individual stops abusing the
  drug, the symptoms they were taking the drug for
  in the first place come back even stronger
  (anxiety for example).
• Withdrawal symptoms are also present
  irritability, paranoia, muscle tension,
  perceptual disturbance, etc.
• Serious usage and sudden withdrawal can cause
  seizures.

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Possible Research Solution

• Melatonin, a hormone that is produced at night by
  the pineal gland, promotes normal sleep in
  humans. Can counter benzodiazepine addiction.
• A number of studies in elderly insomniacs,
  children, and patients with delayed sleep phase
  syndrome when receiving melatonin therapy did not
  develop a tolerance to the hormone during
  prolonged periods of use and experienced no
  withdrawal effects upon discontinuation. (1999)

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Sources

• www.nida.nig.gov
• www.nih.gov
• www.sfn.org
• http//archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/159/20/24
  56.pdf