NEWS
A Starting Guide to Stimulants vs. Depressants
Stimulants vs. Depressants
Most people understand the dangers of drug use, but some use them despite the known facts. Depressants and stimulants are two types of the most well-known classes of drugs.
Although the two may seem like opposites, both groups of substances act on the central nervous system and have the risk of addiction.
Depressants
The artificial slowing of the central nervous system with depressants comes at a high cost to your body. The drugs have become the most widely abused in the current era and can cause euphoria just as easily as an overdose or death.
Types of depressants
There are many kinds of depressants. Some depressants are legal and can be prescribed by your doctor, like OxyContin, while others, like GHB, have and will continue to be illegal.
The guide to the depressant drug GHB can provide additional information. There are many types of depressants, including:
- Alcohol
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Heroin
- Xanax
- OxyContin
- Fentanyl
- Phenobarbital
- Valium
Signs of depressant abuse
Depressants are drugs that come with a high risk of abuse and addiction. This risk, coupled with tolerance that develops quickly, causing the need to use more of a substance to achieve the same results as before, also causes the elevated risk of overdose.
People abusing depressants often have difficulty focusing, appear disoriented, or can seem excessively sleepy. Knowing the signs of use can also help you recognize a possible overdose.
Side effects of depressant drugs
Depressant drugs have side effects for users short and long term. But the highest risk is the threat of overdose. Symptoms of overdose include:
- Disorientation
- Lack of response to stimuli
- Shallow or lack of breathing
- Bluish lips or fingernails
- Cold or clammy skin
If any of these symptoms appear in an individual, give them CPR and seek medical intervention.
Stimulants
Stimulant drugs are a type of drug that excite the central nervous system (CNS) and cause the CNS to work harder than necessary. Heart rate, breathing patterns, and blood pressure are all known to increase and can have devastating side effects.
Types of stimulants
Like depressants, stimulants can be legal and socially accepted or always illegal. The class of drugs encompasses substances like:
- Caffeine
- Methamphetamine
- Cocaine/crack cocaine
- Nicotine
- MDMA (ecstasy)
- Adderall
- Ritalin
Signs of stimulant abuse
Abuse of stimulants will have obvious symptoms. Individuals are frequently agitated, unfocused, become paranoid, and can be highly aggressive.
Symptoms are worsened by mental illness, which many substance users have. Stimulants typically make people highly unpredictable.
Side effects of stimulant abuse
The side effects of stimulant abuse vary and can last the rest of a person’s lifetime. Cocaine will even cause permanent brain changes in individuals.
Prolonged use or overdose can cause death by sudden heart failure, heart attack, stroke, or hyperthermia, which is overheating from the inside out.
Before you go
Depressants and stimulants are substances that, while not always illegal, can cause serious harm. With increasing addiction rates, understanding what substance abuse looks like enables you to recognize when someone needs a wake-up call and professional help.
Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].
