Drugs for sedation – action, types, side effects. Dependence on sedative medications

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Sedation medications are designed to relieve stress and nervous tension that can have negative effects on our body if it continues for a long time. This can be manifested, for example, by difficulty falling asleep, increased irritability or psychosomatic symptoms and general malaise. How do they work, how do we divide them, and what precautions should be taken when using them?

Sedation Medications – Basic Information

Doctors often prescribe sedation medications to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. They also use them as general anesthetics. Their intake should be controlled by a doctor, as they can be very addictive. It is important to exercise caution when using sedative medications.

If we do need sedatives, we recommend starting with herbal sedative tablets. They include, for example, valerian extract. In the case of prescription drugs, remember to take them according to the doctor’s instructions.

See also: Sleep deprivation and its importance for health. What can sleep disturbances lead to?

Drugs for sedation – action

Sedation medications gently reduce mental tension and control excessive anxiety, anxiety, psychomotor agitation and facilitate sleep. In the case of chronic anxiety, anxiolytics are used instead.

Medicines for sedation are characterized by a relaxing effect, restoring the state of emotional balance, favoring relaxation and calming down, positively influencing the well-being. At the same time, they have a slight influence on the ability to think and mental efficiency, and do not show any antipsychotic activity. It is often included in the same group with sleeping pills, because the same preparations in higher doses cause drowsiness and even general anesthesia. A large proportion of them also have a muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant effect.

See also: Sleeping pills – how and when to use?

Drugs for sedation – types

Here’s a quick breakdown of common types of tranquilizers.

Sedation drugs — benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are the most popular group of drugs with anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, muscle-relaxing and amnestic effects. Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effect of a neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit messages between brain cells. These messages can be stimulating or calming. GABA is a neurotransmitter that sends calming messages to the body. When a person feels restless, overstimulation occurs in the brain. When people take benzodiazepines, the brain sends messages to counteract this overstimulation. This activity can reduce symptoms of anxiety. They are well absorbed after oral administration. It should be added, however, that they easily cause addiction (mental and physical) and withdrawal syndrome.

Drugs for sedation – barbiturates

Barbiturates are a group of drugs that work to calm the body down. They can produce effects similar to those of alcohol, ranging from mild relaxation to an inability to feel pain and loss of consciousness. Barbiturates increase the activity of a chemical in the brain that helps with transmitting signals. This chemical is known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

As a drug, they reduce muscle spasms, relieve anxiety, prevent seizures and induce sleep. As a recreational drug, they produce similar effects to alcohol. When barbiturates are taken orally, their effects begin within 30 minutes of ingestion and last from 4 to 16 hours. In most countries, including Poland, they have been withdrawn from treatment.

Drugs for sedation – hydroxyzine

Hydroxyzine is known to have a sedative effect by inhibiting certain functions of the brain. This substance is used in psychiatry as a sedative and strongly inhibiting the activity of the nervous system in states of tension, anxiety, fear, as well as in disorders of emotional balance or hyperactivity.

Hydroxyzine can also be used to treat allergic conditions such as chronic urticaria, atopic or contact dermatitis, and histamine-induced pruritus. It can cause side effects such as dry mouth, drowsiness, nausea, headache and dizziness, hypersensitivity reactions, urinary retention and disturbed eye accommodation.

Sedation Drugs – Side Effects

Sedation medications can have both short-term and long-term side effects.

Some of the immediate side effects you may notice include:

1. somnolence;
2. dizziness;
3. blurred vision;
4. Inability to see depth or distance as usual (impaired perception)
5. slower reaction time to things around us (reduced reflexes);
6. slower breathing;
7. not feeling as much pain as usual (sometimes even severe or intense pain);
8. trouble concentrating or thinking;
9. speaking slower or gibberish.

Long-term use of sedative medications can lead to the following side effects:

1. frequent forgetfulness or loss of memory (amnesia);
2. symptoms of depression, such as tiredness, hopelessness or thoughts of suicide;
3. mental ill health such as anxiety;
4. liver dysfunction or liver failure due to tissue damage or overdose;
5. developing dependence on sedative medications, which may lead to irreversible effects or withdrawal symptoms, especially if you stop using them suddenly.

Herbal preparations are safer to use, which you can buy as a SOOTHING herbal set from Herbapol in Krakow.

See also: These painkillers and sedatives are the fastest to addict

Drugs for sedation – addiction

We can talk about addiction when our body becomes physically dependent on a sedative and cannot function normally without it.

Signs of dependence on sedative medications

Addiction may be experienced if we find ourselves taking sedation medications regularly and feel we cannot stop taking them. This can be especially noticeable if you exceed the prescribed dose or the safe amount. Addiction also becomes apparent when we need a larger dose to achieve the same effect. This means that our body has got used to the drug and needs more to achieve the desired effect.

Symptoms of withdrawal of sedative medications

Addiction becomes most obvious when withdrawal symptoms occur. This happens when our body responds to a lack of sedatives with uncomfortable or painful physical and mental symptoms.

Common withdrawal symptoms include:

1. increased anxiety;
2. irritability;
3. problems with falling asleep.

In some cases, seizures may occur if the body is used to high levels of sedation medications and we stop taking drugs abruptly. Addiction develops depending on our body’s tolerance to the drug. This may be within a few months or less, e.g. several weeks or less.

Older people may be more susceptible to some sedative medications, such as benzodiazepines, than younger people.

Recognizing the symptoms of addiction and withdrawal

Addiction can be difficult to recognize. The clearest symptom is that you can’t stop thinking about taking the drug.

This is easier to see if you think compulsively about a drug when you have any symptoms related to the condition for which you are taking the drug. Then you also think that the use of a given preparation is the only way we will be able to deal with it. In these cases, our behavior and mood can change immediately (often negatively) when we realize we can’t have it right away.

Some of these symptoms, especially mood changes, can occur immediately.

Conversely, other symptoms indicate withdrawal. These symptoms may appear days or weeks after you stop taking these symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can include:

1. nausea;
2. vomiting;
3. loss of consciousness.

See also: What should be avoided while taking medication?

Drugs for sedation – precautions

Even if you are taking low doses of sedation medications as prescribed by your doctor, you still need to be especially careful.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol also acts as a sedative, so drinking and taking sedative medications at the same time can exacerbate the effects and lead to dangerous, life-threatening symptoms such as loss of consciousness or stopping breathing.

Do not mix sedative medications together or with other medications that work similarly. Mixing sedative medications or taking them with other medications that make you sleepy, such as antihistamines, can lead to harmful side effects and even overdose.

Do not take sedation medications during pregnancy without consulting your doctor. High doses of sedatives may harm the unborn child, unless taken in a controlled medical environment.

Don’t smoke marijuana. Using marijuana can actually reduce the effects of sedatives, especially those used for anesthesia. A 2019 study found that marijuana users needed a higher dose of tranquilizers to get the same effects as a regular dose for someone who doesn’t use marijuana.

See also: Do you like a drink? You don’t even know what the consequences might be

Calming Medications – Alternatives

If you are concerned about an addiction to sedative medications, you may want to talk to your healthcare professional about alternatives.

Antidepressants, such as SSRIs, can help treat anxiety or panic disorders. Stress reduction techniques such as:

1. exercises;
2. meditation;
3. aromatherapy with essential oils (especially lavender).

Good sleep hygiene is another tool to help manage sleep disorders. It is recommended to go to bed and wake up at the same time (even on days off) and not to use electronics before going to bed.

If lifestyle changes don’t help us sleep, let’s talk to your doctor about taking supplements like melatonin, valerian, or chamomile. A very popular calming tea with chamomile is that it improves physical and mental well-being. Narrow-leaved lavender flower extracts also help to calm down.

Lavender, chamomile, as well as lemon balm, chokeberry, black currant, linden and blueberry are included in Heavenly Calm – a mix for cocktails. It has calming and mood-improving properties, and strengthens the body. You can also reach for Medicinal Lavender – YANGO dietary supplement or a mixture of sedative herbs consisting of valerian, yarrow, mint, lemon balm and chamomile.