Tranquillizers and Sleeping Pills

Tranquillizers are depressant drugs that slow down the central nervous system (CNS), and thus are similar to such other CNS depressants as alcohol and barbiturates.

The term “major tranquillizer” was formerly applied to drugs used to treat severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. However, these drugs are now more commonly called neuroleptics; their action specifically relieves the symptoms of mental illness, and they are rarely misused for other purposes.

This paper therefore deals with the anti-anxiety agents, or anxiolytics (formerly called “minor” tranquillizers). It covers:

• History
• Effects
• Toxic effects
• Tolerance and dependence
• Tranquillizers and pregnancy
• Who uses tranquillizers

This is an excellent paper on Tranquillizers and Sleeping Pills and highly recommended reading.

Filed in Barbiturates