Q: What are tranquillizers?
A: Tranquillizers are a group of drugs used to treat medical conditions such as severe anxiety, stress disorders and muscle tension. Doctors prescribe them to treat these conditions.
Q: Are sleeping pills tranquillizers?
A: Most sleeping pills prescribed these days have the same chemical makeup as tranquillizers. Medically speaking, drugs used to calm people are known as tranquillizers and those used to treat sleeping problems are called sleeping pills. Some of the most commonly prescribed tranquillizers are Valium®, Librium®, Ativan® and Serax®. Some common sleeping pills include Dalmane®, Halcion®, Restoril® and Mogadon®.
However, some sleeping pills are not classified as tranquillizers; they are called barbiturates.
Q: What is the difference between a tranquillizer and a barbiturate?
A: The main difference is in their chemical structure. In general, tranquillizers and barbiturates have similar effects, but barbiturates are stronger.
Q: What do tranquillizers and sleeping pills do to the body?
A: Both tranquillizers and sleeping pills are depressants. This means they reduce the amount of activity in the brain and central nervous system. The reduced activity causes a sense of calm and well-being, which is why tranquillizers are used to treat anxiety.
Sleeping pills reduce the amount of activity in the brain further than tranquillizers. This larger reduction eventually causes users to fall asleep.
Q: What are some other effects of tranquillizers and sleeping pills?
A: Tranquillizers and sleeping pills can relax people to the point where they get clumsy and have trouble thinking straight. Sleeping pills make people very tired, which makes it dangerous for people to drive a car when taking sleeping pills or tranquillizers.
Q: Are tranquillizers and sleeping pills legal?
A: In Canada, they are legal only when prescribed by a doctor. Because of their effects, tranquillizers and sleeping pills are sometimes stolen and sold illegally on the street.
Q: So what is the danger if a doctor prescribes tranquillizers and sleeping pills?
A: The dangers of tranquillizers and sleeping pills are the same whether a doctor prescribes them or they are bought illegally. The most danger lies in taking too many of them at a time. A doctor's prescription will include instructions about how many tranquillizers or sleeping pills to take and how often they should be taken.
Ignoring these instructions or using illegal tranquillizers without medical advice can cause a lot of problems.
Q: Like what?
A: The exact effect varies with the type of tranquillizer and the size of the dose. In large doses (or doses bigger than the prescribed dose), tranquillizers and sleeping pills can cause problems with thinking, memory and judgment. Users also have trouble speaking clearly. Some people can become hostile and go into a rage.
Q: Anything else?
A: There are some other less common effects that come from abusing tranquillizers and sleeping pills. These include physical effects like headaches, skin rashes and impotence, and mental effects like disturbing dreams.
Q: Is it dangerous to take other drugs with tranquillizers and sleeping pills?
A: Mixing two kinds of any drug is always risky. With tranquillizers and sleeping pills, a big danger comes when they are taken with alcohol. Alcohol, tranquillizers and sleeping pills all have similar effects on the body. All reduce the amount of activity in the central nervous system. If someone drinks alcohol and takes a tranquillizer or a sleeping pill, the amount of activity in their nervous system will be greatly reduced. This can lead to death.
Q: Are tranquillizers and sleeping pills addictive?
A: People do develop tolerance to tranquillizers and sleeping pills. This means they need to take more of them to feel the same effects they used to feel after taking smaller amounts.
Tolerance can lead to abuse and dependence on tranquillizers and sleeping pills.
When people who are dependent on tranquillizers and sleeping pills suddenly stop taking them, they can go through withdrawal. Besides craving the drugs, they can experience sleep problems, restlessness, loss of appetite and the shakes.
