What You Should Know About Sedating Medications

Overview

Many classes of medications used to treat a broad spectrum of conditions can cause sedation and drowsiness.

These medicines can drive tiredness because they directly affect chemicals in your body called neurotransmitters. Your body’s nerves use these to transmit impulses to other nerves and muscle fibers.

When a drug blocks or stimulates the release of specific neurotransmitters, it can result in fatigue.

It’s vital to follow the instructions of your healthcare provider when taking sedatives. Taking them incorrectly or combining them with alcohol, recreational drugs, and even other prescribed sedatives can result in extreme fatigue, suppression of the central nervous system, breathing problems, coma, and death.

Medications that Cause Drowsiness

Opioid Pain Medications

Opioids are medications that mimic your body’s pain-control chemicals called endorphins. These types of drugs are prescribed for acute postoperative pain and chronic pain management.

Examples of Medications

Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Tramadol, Demerol, Buprenorphine, Methadone, Codeine, Morphine, Fentanyl

Anxiety Medications (Benzodiazepines)

Anti-anxiety medications address clinical anxiety. They work by targeting specific proteins in your central nervous system called GABA receptors that regulate mood and sleep.

Examples of Medications

Alprazolam (Xanax), Lorazepam (Ativan), Diazepam (Valium), Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Sleeping Pills

As the name suggests, the medications in this category treat acute insomnia. They may be prescribed to help you fall asleep and/or stay asleep for longer periods of time. Generally, they are prescribed only on a short-term basis.

Examples of Medications

Zolpidem, Zaleplon, Lunesta, Zopiclone, Eszopiclone, Lemborexant (Dayvigo), Suvorexant (Belsomra)

Antihistamines

Medications in this category are used for relief from allergies or allergic reactions. They work by suppressing the release of histamine in your body, which is released when your body detects harmful agents, like an infection or venom from stings.

Antihistamines block histamines from binding to receptors, which helps to regulate immune responses, like itching and sneezing. Widely available without a prescription, these are meant for short-term use only.

Examples of Medications

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Hydroxyzine (Atarax), Doxylamine (Tylenol PM), Cetirizine (Zyrtec), Fexofenadine (Allegra), Levocetirizine (Xyzal), Loratadine (Claritin)

Muscle Relaxants

Muscle Relaxants work to ease muscle pain, stiffness, and aches by targeting your brain and spine nerves to provide relief. Due to their sedative side effects being more pronounced in older adults, they are usually not prescribed for people over 65.

Examples of Medications

Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), Carisoprodol (Soma), Tizanidine (Zanaflex)

Antidepressants

Most of these medications relieve depression by affecting neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. Each type of antidepressant targets these neurotransmitters in different ways and is available in a wide variety.

Examples of Medications

Trazadone (Desyrel), Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Paroxetine (Paxil), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Venlafaxine (Effexor), Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluvoxamine (Fluvox), Amitriptyline (Elavil), Nortriptyline (Pamelor), Doxepin (Sinequan), Imipramine (Tofranil), Protriptyline (Vivactil), Trimipramine (Surmontil), Clomipramine (Anafranil), Phenelzine (Nardil), Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Antipsychotics

Antipsychotic medications have been used since the 1950s to treat and manage different psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar mania. They work by blocking the excess release of dopamine.

Examples of Medications

Quetiapine (Seroquel), Risperidone (Risperdal), Clozapine (Clozaril), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Haloperidol (Haldol). Loxapine (Loxitane), Thioridazine (Mellaril), Fluphenazine (Prolixin), Trifluoperazine (Stelazine), Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), Mesoridazine (Serentil), Thiothixene (Navane), Molindone (Mobane)

Mood Stabilizers

This class of medications is used primarily in the treatment of bipolar disorder. How they work isn’t fully understood; however, we know that they stabilize and calm to areas of the brain that are overstimulated and overactive.

Examples of Medications

Valproic acid (Depakene, Depakote, Eskalith), Lithium, Lamotrigine (Lamictal), Neurontin (Gabapentin), Carbamazepine (Tegretol), Topiramate (Topamax)

Blood Pressure Medications

Betablockers work by blocking the actions of chemicals in your body that stimulate your heart. By slowing down your heart, less blood needs to be pumped through the blood vessels, resulting in decreased blood pressure.

Examples of Medications

Propranolol (Inderal), Metoprolol (Lopressor), Bisoprolol (Zebeta), Carvedilol (Coreg), Clonidine (although not a Betablocker, it works in a very similar manner)

Parkinson’s Disease Medications

Carbidopa and Levodopa work together to relieve Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or Parkinson-like symptoms, such as tremors and stiffness. Levodopa is converted to dopamine in the brain to help control movement, while carbidopa prevents levodopa’s breakdown in the bloodstream so that more levodopa can enter the brain.

Seizure Medications

Anti-Seizure medications work in different ways depending on the type of seizure experienced. Most often used to treat epilepsy, their specific mode of action is not fully known yet.

Examples of Medications

Brivaracetam, Cannabidiol Oral Solution, Carbamazepine, Cenobamate, Clobazam, Clonazepam, Diazepam, Divalproex, Eslicarbamazepin, Oxcarbamazepine, Ethosuximide, Ezogabine, Felbamate, Gabapentin, Lacosamide, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Perampanel, Phenobarbital, Phenytoin, Pregabalin, Primidone, Rufinamide, Stiripentol, Tiagabine Hydrochloride, Topiramate, Valproic Acid, Vigabatrin, Zonizamide

Recreational Drugs

Substance use disorders (SUD) are at epidemic proportions for individuals over the age of 12 years. Studies show that the use of illicit drugs and alcohol accounts for a large portion of emergency room visits in the United States per year.^[1]

It should be noted that there’s a trend among segments of urban youth that involves combining prescription drugs with illicit drugs. Of those subjects who reported prescription drug misuse, 65.9% claimed to use prescription drugs in combination with at least one recreational drug, such as marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, and psychedelics.^[2]

Examples of Medications

Sleeping Pills (Forget-me pill, Looney bar, Mexican valium, R2, Roche, Tic-Tac’s, Sleep Easy, Zombie Flip, Symphony)
Benzodiazepines (Benzos Downers, Poles, Tranks, Totem Z-bars, V’s, Yellow/blue, Z’s, Xannies)
Barbiturates (Barbs, Dolls, Phennies, Red/Bluebirds/Tooties, Yellow Jackets, Yellows)
Ketamine
Heroin (Brown Sugar, Chiva, Dope, H, Horse, Junk, Skag, Skunk, Smack, White Horse, A-bomb (with marijuana)
Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (Sodium Oxybate) (GHB, G, Gamma-Oh, GEEB, Georgia Home Boy, Gina, GOOP, Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid X, Scoop, Soap)
Marijuana (Mary Jane, Green, Bud)
Alcohol
Prescription Opioids

Wake-up Tips for Medication Grogginess

Do not stop taking the medication that you suspect is making you feel tired talk to your doctor first
Physical movement such as exercise can help with alertness and feeling less tired. Try taking a short walk, doing stretches or yoga
If you are unable to exercise, take some deep breaths to increase oxygen levels
Make sure you get enough sleep
Have some natural-source caffeine in the form of coffee or tea
Avoid caffeine pills or other high-potency stimulants
Take a short nap

Conclusion

Talk to your doctor about how the medication you are taking is affecting you. They may change the type or amount of medication or ask you to alter the time or frequency of dosing.

Depending on your specific case and any possible underlying conditions, your doctor may prescribe stimulant medications to make you more alert. These stimulants are used to counter the effects of sedatives. Still, it is not recommended to take non-prescription, over-the-counter versions because of potential side effects and risks associated with them.

References:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4760, DAWN Series D-39, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville 2013. no abstract available
Kelly, B. C., Wells, B. E., Pawson, M., LeClair, A., & Parsons, J. T. (2014). Combinations of prescription drug misuse and illicit drugs among young adults. Addictive behaviors, 39(5), 941–944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.12.003