Minor Tranquillizers

What are minor tranquillizers?
Minor tranquillizers are depressants and they belong to a group of drugs called 'benzodiazepines'. They are prescribed by doctors to relieve stress and anxiety, to help people sleep and for many other medical uses. They usually come in capsule or tablet form.
Some people misuse tranquillizers for their intoxicating effects.

Various street names: Valium, Rohypnol, Mogadon, Librium, BK, Lexotan, Ativan, etc.
In USA some minor tranquillizers, in particular the ones bought in the streets, are illegally made. This means that there are no controls over the ingredients or purity of a pill. This is dangerous as it increases the chances of taking something that will affect you negatively.
The effects of minor tranquillizers vary from person to person depending on the size of the dose, the person's weight and age, how the drug is taken and the mood of the user.

What are the immediate effects?
Relaxation
Dizziness and confusion
Slurred speech/stuttering
Blurred of double vision
Loss of short-term memory
Intoxication similar to alcohol
High doses can cause unconsciousness or coma.

What are the long-term effects?
Weight gain
Difficulty sleeping
Greater appetite
Memory loss
Difficulty thinking
Personality change
Sexual problems
Menstrual problems
High doses over a period of time may cause confusion, lack of coordination, depression and slurred speech.

Dependence
Physical and psychological dependence can occur after just a few months of using minor tranquilizers. Users who are psychologically dependent feel that they can't survive without tranquillizers. Physical dependence occurs when a user's body adapts to tranquillizers.

Driving
It is dangerous to drive after using tranquillizers. They impair judgment and reduce concentration and coordination. It is even more dangerous to drive when tranquillizers are combined with alcohol or other drugs.

Pregnancy
Minor tranquillizers taken during pregnancy can affect the growth and development of the fetus. Learning disorders in children have been linked to minor tranquillizer use. Tranquillizers can also be passed from mother to baby through breast milk.

Mixing drugs
It is very dangerous to take minor tranquillizers together with other drugs, including alcohol. The effects of the drugs are increased and there are greater chances of negative, unpredictable effects; including death.

Coping with problems
Minor tranquillizers may make it seem as if problems are gone. But when a user stops using tranquillizers, the problems will still be there and in many cases will only be worse because the user is now dependant.
There are many ways to deal with stress and anxiety without using minor tranquillizers.
A healthy diet
Sport and exercise
Talking to someone you trust
A hobby