Downer drugs are not all that bad. Some of these drugs are used for medical reasons, actually prescribed by doctors. Some of the sicknesses that downers are used to treat include insomnia, to help manage anxiety, to reduce convulsiveness, and for neuromuscular disorders. They are most often prescribed today as tranquilizers and sleeping pills. Some examples of tranquilizers are Valium, Librium, and Xanax. Some examples of sleeping pills include Dalmane, Halcion, and Resoril. It is said that over the last decade an estimated six hundred million prescriptions were processed for minor tranquilizers in the United States pharmacies alone.

The size of the dosage makes a big difference in how barbiturates affect a person. If taken in low doses (50 mg or so), the effects are similar to alcohol in which there is mild impairment of thought and coordination. This also gives the same release of inhibition that enables shy people to sing or flirt when drinking. Moderate doses of barbiturates (100 to 200 mg) produce effects that are more pronounced, and with sleep there is a more or less predictable outcome. Mild doses cause mild intoxication, slurred speech, clouded judgment and a greater release of inhibition. High doses, (more than 200 mg, in a non-addicted person) have even a more intense and unpredictable level of intoxication. Users usually display a wide range of mood swings and may talk in a babbling and incoherent manner. Their coordination is reduced and normal judgment is reduced also. High doses can cause life-threatening symptoms, from lowered blood pressure and heart rate to cardiovascular collapse!

As a closing, I have learned so much about Downers and what effects they have on us. Not only do they affect the people that are using them, but they also affect the people around them.

To get a little bit more specific about Downers, there are two major forms of this drug. These are Barbiturates and Tranquilizers. Barbiturates are sedatives which means they decrease anxiety and they are also hypnotic which means they help sleep. Barbiturates depress the central nervous system and have similar effects as alcolhol that last from three to eight hours (depending on the dose). Large doses can lead to unconsciousness and eventually respiratory failure and even death. The effects of barbiturates are greatly inc

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