Tag: Tranquilizers

In 2021, an estimated 4.9 million Americans aged 12 or older reported misusing prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in the past year [1.7.1]. 'Downers,' the common term for Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants, are drugs that slow down brain activity [1.2.2]. So, what drugs are also called downers?

By 1978, over 2.3 billion Valium pills were sold in the U.S. alone, making Valium the most prescribed and widely used medication of the decade. Understanding **what was the most used drug in the 1970s** reveals a pivotal period in pharmacology, marked by the widespread acceptance of tranquilizers and the subsequent reckoning with their risks.

By 1956, only one year after its release, doctors had written 36 million prescriptions for the tranquilizer Miltown, a drug commonly associated with 1950s housewives coping with anxiety. Often nicknamed “Mother's Little Helper,” this and other prescription pills reveal the intense societal pressures and expectations placed on women during that era.

According to a Rutgers Health study, diagnoses for sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorders increased fivefold in young adults between 2001 and 2019 [1.8.2]. This highlights the need to understand the question: **What are tranquility drugs?** These CNS depressants have therapeutic benefits but also carry significant risks.