POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 83 (continued...) CNS depressants are effective medicines. They can improve the way you feel by adjusting important functions of the brain. Only a doctor, or other skilled healthcare professional, has the knowledge and experience to prescribe the right medication and the right dosage. If you don’t follow the directions of the prescription exactly, it’s misuse. In the case of serious medications like CNS depressants, even unintentional misuse can cause unexpected reactions that your body might not be able to handle. So do yourself a favor — understand your prescription. Follow the directions. Don’t misuse prescription CNS depressants or any other prescription medication. If you are prescribed medications, it’s your responsibility to know how to take them safely and properly. Double check with your parents and your doctor if you have any questions or if you just don’t feel right. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF MISUSE? Using your prescription medication for conditions other than the one it was meant to treat. • Using your prescription medication without a doctor’s or other healthcare professional's supervision. • Increasing the dosage or frequency on your own, without the doctor’s or other healthcare professional's permission. • Using your prescription medicine with other medications your doctor or other healthcare professional has told you to avoid. • Sharing your prescription medication with someone who has similar symptoms to yours. • Combining your prescription CNS depressant with alcohol, other prescription CNS depressants, prescription opioid analgesics, or certain over-the-counter medications without your doctor's or other healthcare professional's permission. (Your doctor can tell you which ones to avoid.) WHAT ARE SOME EFFECTS OF MISUSE? Many people being treated with CNS depressants feel drowsy and lose some coordination for a few days until they get used to the drug’s effect. But if the treatment continues for long periods, the body may develop tolerance to the medication. When tolerance develops, the body will need larger doses for the depressant to work properly. This is one reason why a doctor’s or other healthcare professional's supervision is so important when CNS depressants are being used. And why it’s totally unsafe to misuse them. • Physical effects can include lowered heart and breathing rates and a drop in blood pressure. • You may also experience confusion, slurred speech and have trouble concentrating or making good decisions. • Using alcohol or other medications with CNS depressants can have a similar effect to an overdose. Breathing and heart rates can be decreased to dangerously low levels. Fatally low levels. • Under certain circumstances, you may develop tolerance to CNS depressants. IMPORTANT: It’s the doctor’s or other healthcare professional's job to make these adjustments — not yours. • Misuse of CNS depressants can lead to addiction for some people. HOW CAN MISUSE OF PRESCRIPTION CNS DEPRESSANTS BE AVOIDED? Any misuse of prescription CNS depressants — even unintentional misuse — can be harmful. Here’s what you can do to avoid misuse: • Honestly and completely answer all your doctor’s or other healthcare professional's questions about medical history, allergies and other medications, including over-the-counter medicines, that you take. • Ask your doctor or other healthcare professional what effects and side effects to expect. • Tell your doctor or other healthcare professional about any unexpected reactions. • Always follow the directions of your prescription. Never change the dosage or frequency of use on your own. (...continued)
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