Stimulants and depressants are drugs that affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). They can have wide-ranging effects on the mind and body. But these two types of drugs have different, almost opposite, effects.
While stimulants activate the central nervous system (CNS), depressants suppress CNS activity. That’s why stimulants are sometimes called “uppers” and depressants are called “downers.”
Both are powerful drugs with a high potential for abuse and addiction. Misuse of stimulants and depressants can lead to short- and long-term health problems, including overdose and death.
Understanding the differences between stimulants and depressants can help you recognize the signs of misuse, dependency, and overdose, and seek timely treatment for stimulant addiction or depressant addiction.
What are Stimulants?
Definition
Stimulants are a broad category of drugs that increase activity in the central nervous system and speed up messaging between the mind and body. As a result, stimulant drugs make a person feel more awake, alert, energetic, and confident.
People who misuse or abuse stimulants do so to experience a high (a sense of exhilaration), increased energy, improved mental and physical performance, enhanced confidence and self-esteem, and extended periods of wakefulness.
Examples of Common Stimulants
- Legal substances, such as nicotine and caffeine, which are mild stimulants
- Prescription drugs, such as amphetamines (Adderall) and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta).
- Illegal substances such as crack/cocaine and methamphetamine (meth).
Note: Common street names for stimulants include uppers, ice, speed, coke, crank, bennies, pellets, black beauties, R-ball, snow, vitamin R, flake, skippy, and crystal.
How Stimulants Affect the Mind and Body
Stimulants increase the levels of certain natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain called dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals play an important role in regulating the brain’s reward system. Dopamine controls pleasure (euphoria) and satisfaction as well as motivation, reward, cognition, and movement. Norepinephrine regulates mood, attention, memory, learning, and arousal.
In healthy individuals, activities such as eating a delicious meal or having sex activate the brain’s reward system, leading to the release of dopamine and resulting in feelings of pleasure. But when a person abuses stimulant drugs, the drugs cause a surge in dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters. This causes short-lived but intense feelings of pleasure. As the levels of neurotransmitters fall, there is a crash. When drug use is repeated, the cycle repeats, reinforcing the link between drug use and euphoria.
Over time, it disrupts the normal functioning of the brain’s circuitry. This results in tolerance, where a person needs more and more of the drug to experience the same effects. It also results in cravings or strong urges and withdrawal symptoms or negative effects and when the drug is withheld.
What are Depressants?
Definition
Depressants are a broad category of drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system and slow down messaging between the mind and body. As a result, depressant drugs make a person feel calm, relaxed, soothed, and drowsy.
People who misuse or abuse depressants do so to experience euphoria (a sense of well-being or calmness), to increase the effects of other drugs, or to deal with the side effects of other drugs. Some depressants, such as GHB and Rohypnol, are used to facilitate sexual assaults by making the victim less combative.
Examples of Common Depressants
- Legal substances such as alcohol.
- Prescription drugs such as barbiturates (phenobarbital, butalbital), benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax), and opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin).
- Illegal drugs such as heroin.
Note: Common street names for depressants include downers, benzos, roofies, rophies, nerve pills, Georgia Home Boyo, tranks, barbs, Grievous Bodily Harm, reds, yellows, phennies, liquid X, R2, and GHB.
How Depressants Affect the Mind and Body
Depressants increase the levels of a natural chemical (neurotransmitter) in the brain called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it lessens brain activity and the ability of nerves to communicate with each other. Therefore, by increasing GABA levels, depressant drugs have a calming and relaxing effect.
In healthy individuals, there is a delicate balance between GABA and glutamate which is an excitatory neurotransmitter. GABA also works in conjunction with another natural chemical called serotonin. The switching “on and off” of these neurotransmitters maintains proper functioning of the mind and body.
Depressant drugs such as benzodiazepines bind to GABA receptors and affect functions such as sleepiness, anxiety levels, muscle relaxation, and memory. When depressant drugs are abused, they cause a surge in GABA, causing short-lived feelings of calm, relaxation, and sedation.
Over time, the areas of the brain associated with reward undergo structural and functional changes in response to these changing levels of neurotransmitters. With repeated drug use, tolerance and withdrawal develop, which are hallmarks of drug addiction.
Differences Between Stimulants and Depressants
Effects on the Mind
· Stimulants cause exhilaration and increased mental performance, including increased energy, attention, focus, alertness, concentration, wakefulness, confidence, and self-esteem.
· Depressants cause calmness, relaxation, sedation, and reduced anxiety.
Effects on the Body
- Stimulants cause increased blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate.
- Depressants cause decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate.
Side Effects and Health Risks of Stimulants vs Depressants
Health Risks and Side Effects of Stimulants
- Potential physical side effects of stimulants include dizziness, headache, tremors, chest pain, palpitations, flushed skin, excessive sweating, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.
- Possible mental health side effects of stimulants include insomnia, anxiety, panic, agitation, aggression, hostility, auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, and suicidal ideation.
- Long-term health effects of stimulants include a risk of addiction and dependence, cardiovascular problems, and mental health problems.
- Overdose symptoms of stimulants may include high fever, convulsions, cardiovascular collapse, and death.
- Interactions between stimulant drugs and other drugs can have unpredictable effects, including dangerously high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, and death.
Health Risks and Side Effects of Depressants
- Potential physical side effects of depressants include weakness, dizziness, headache, slurred speech, blurred vision, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, and slowed breathing.
- Possible mental health side effects of depressants include amnesia (no memory of events that occurred while under the influence of the depressant substance), confusion, impaired mental functioning, reduced reaction time, poor judgment.
- Long-term health effects of depressants include tolerance and psychological dependence, respiratory issues, liver damage, and mental health problems.
- Overdose symptoms of depressants may include cold and clammy skin, slowed heartbeat, slowed or stopped breathing, and unresponsiveness.
- Interactions between depressant drugs and other drugs can have unpredictable and dangerous effects, including slowed or stopped breathing and decreased heart rate.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Stimulants vs Depressants
Abruptly stopping or reducing stimulant use can cause withdrawal symptoms such as drug cravings, extreme fatigue, jitteriness, sleep difficulties, irritability, anxiety, and depression.
Abruptly discontinuing or reducing depressant use can cause withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, headache, tremors, sweating, nausea, palpitations, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, and convulsions.
Common Questions
Is weed a stimulant or depressant?
Weed (marijuana or cannabis) is both a stimulant and depressant. It has hallucinogenic and narcotic effects. Marijuana intoxication can have depressant effects such as decreased attention, memory problems, and slowed psychomotor skills. Stimulant effects of marijuana include an elevated mood and racing heartbeat. Hallucinogenic effects of weed include alterations in the sense of time and space and detachment from the environment.
It is important to note that weed affects each person differently, so some people may experience depressant effects more, while others may experience the stimulant effects or hallucinogenic effects to a greater extent.
What are the effects of mixing stimulants with depressants?
Mixing stimulants and depressants can place significant strain on vital organs in the body, such as the heart, lungs, and brain. It can also increase the risk of overdose and fatalities due to unpredictable and dangerous drug interactions.
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+18442884672 Medical Uses of Stimulants and Depressants
Prescription stimulant drugs are used for the treatment of medical conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and certain types of depression.
Prescription depressant drugs are used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and chronic pain management.
Given the high risk of physical and psychological dependence on stimulants and depressants, many of these drugs are Schedule II substances that are tightly regulated to prevent misuse.
If you have been prescribed a stimulant or depressant, it is extremely important to take the medication exactly as prescribed. Do not change the dose, dosage frequency, or duration of treatment without the prescribing doctor’s approval.
Proper use (taking these drugs under medical supervision and as prescribed) can help you benefit from their positive effects while protecting you from serious adverse effects and the risk of addiction.
Risks and Dangers of Abuse
Stimulant abuse is frequently associated with a pattern of binge use in which there is sporadic consumption of large amounts of stimulants in a short period of time. This may include injecting a stimulant every few hours to reach a point of physical exhaustion and delirium, until the drug supply runs out. This type of heavy stimulant use puts users at risk of overdose and death.
Depressant abuse is frequently combined with other drugs to add to their effects or prevent their side effects. Users also frequently take more than the prescribed amounts of depressant drugs such as benzodiazepines or opioids by obtaining the drugs from others, including street dealers. These practices are responsible for the high numbers of overdose deaths in the US and worldwide from slowed or stopped breathing related to depressant drug overdoses.
Signs of Stimulant and Depressant Abuse and Addiction
Physical Symptoms
- Changes in appetite
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Trouble sleeping or abnormal wakefulness
- Fast or slow heartbeat
- High or low blood pressure
- Fast or slow breathing
- High or low energy
- Aches and pains
- Muscle twitching or jitteriness
- Convulsions
Behavioral Symptoms
- Lying, stealing, and other deceptive behavior
- Doctor shopping to obtain multiple prescriptions
- Ordering drugs from overseas online stores that don’t require a prescription
- Obtaining drugs from street dealers
- Risky or impulsive behaviors
Cognitive Symptoms
- Changes in the ability to concentrate and focus
- Poor judgment and decision making
- Confusion
- Paranoia
- Delusions
- Auditory or visual hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren’t there)
Psychological Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic
- Mood swings
Treatment for Abuse and Addiction of Stimulants and Depressants
Detoxification
Medically supervised detoxification can help a person stay comfortable and safe during withdrawal from stimulant or depressant drugs.
A detox program allows gradual reduction in the amount of drug used under the supervision of a health care team. Close monitoring during this critical time can prevent or reduce withdrawal symptoms, including potentially dangerous symptoms such as seizures.
However, completing detox is not considered the end of addiction treatment. Most people need ongoing help to develop the resilience to avoid using drugs again.
Medication Management
There are no specific FDA-approved medications to treat stimulant use disorder or depressant (benzodiazepine) use disorder. However, healthcare providers can prescribe medications to manage withdrawal symptoms.
There are specific medications to manage addiction to opioid drugs which are CNS depressants. The US FDA has approved three medications for the treatment of opioid use disorders, namely methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Similarly, people with an alcohol use disorder may benefit from medication management with acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone.
Behavioral Therapy and Counseling
The mainstay of treatment for stimulant or depressant drug abuse and addiction is psychotherapy and counseling. There are various forms of talk therapy that can benefit people with substance use disorders, including motivational therapy, contingency management, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal is to motivate a person to stop drug use, help them build coping skills to manage drug cravings and temptations, and teach strategies to stay clean long-term.
Long-Term Recovery Programs
Once a person completes a formal addiction treatment program, there are resources that can help them stay away from drugs, including support groups, 12-step programs, aftercare programs, and organizations that rehabilitate people in recovery from drug use by helping with housing and employment.
Final Thoughts on Stimulants vs Depressants
Stimulants and depressants are powerful drugs that affect the central nervous system (CNS) and have wide-ranging effects on the mind and body. While these two types of drugs have opposite effects, they are similar in their ability to cause physical and psychological dependence as well as serious health effects.
If you or a loved one has developed an addiction to stimulants or depressants, seek professional help at Discover Recovery Treatment Center today. We offer a range of inpatient and outpatient holistic addiction treatment programs that can help you overcome substance abuse.
