POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 85 IMPORTANT: Once you’ve started taking a prescription CNS depressant, DO NOT STOP taking the medication unless you have an okay from the doctor or other healthcare professional. • Never use your prescription medications to treat illnesses, pain or injuries other than for which it was prescribed. • Until you are familiar with the effects of your medication, do not drive or use machinery. • Never share your prescription medication with anyone. • Keep your prescription medication in a safe place where no one else can use it by mistake. • Do not use CNS depressants with alcohol, prescription opioid analgesics, or over-thecounter cold and allergy medications unless your doctor or healthcare professional is advising you to do so. PAINFULLY OBVIOUS® — When you take a prescription CNS depressant, or any prescription medication, you have a responsibility to use it the way your doctor has told you to use it. Misusing prescription CNS depressants, even if the misuse is unintentional, is dangerous, and can be deadly. If a depressant is prescribed for you, follow the prescription and the doctor’s directions exactly. Any other way is misuse, and misuse of CNS depressants is extremely unsafe. CNS DEPRESSANT ABUSE WHAT IS ABUSE OF CNS DEPRESSANTS? It’s simple. Using prescription medications to get high is drug abuse. No one should ever abuse prescription medications. They are to be taken only when prescribed by a doctor or other healthcare professional for the condition being treated. Abuse of prescription CNS depressants can be dangerous and destructive — not just to your health — but to other parts of your life, as well. Since prescription CNS depressants affect your brain, they can also affect the way you behave. If they’re abused, you might do something really embarrassing in front of your friends…something you’ll be ashamed of for a long time. You could end up hurting yourself physically or even hurt someone else. A lot of different things can happen when you abuse prescription CNS depressants, and not one of them is good. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTION DEPRESSANT ABUSE Abusing CNS depressants can have very severe consequences. • Small doses can cause some of the same reactions alcohol does. You may get drowsy, lose some of your coordination and feel less inhibited, which makes you more likely to do things you normally wouldn’t. • You may have trouble talking clearly (slurred speech). • You may find it difficult to concentrate or make good judgments. • You could overdose. This could cause your heart and breathing to slow down so much that you’ll die. LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTION DEPRESSANT ABUSE Your ability to think clearly, your coordination, and your reflexes will all decrease. • You could have difficulties with your memory. • You may go through periods of depression. • Overdose is always a possibility, which could cause death. • There is a good chance that you will develop a tolerance to the effects of the drug. IMPORTANT: If you become physically dependent, you should not attempt to stop taking a CNS depressant without consulting a doctor or other healthcare professional. Because CNS depressants slow down brain activity, stopping abruptly can cause the brain to speed up to a point where seizures can occur and you could die. A doctor or other healthcare professional can help a physically dependent person through this period by gradually decreasing the dosage of CNS depressant needed. • You can become addicted. (...continued) www.painfullyobvious.com
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