Downer deathsDon’t be down and out.Mixing downers increases the risk!

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Downers slow the breathing and heart rate and can cause unconsciousness, brain damage, coma and death.

Mixing downers is the most common cause of drug-related deaths in Ayrshire and Arran and Scotland as a whole.

• In nine out of ten deaths, more than one downer had been taken.

• Nine out of ten deaths involved an opioid.

• Two in three deaths involved Gabapentin or Pregabalin.

• Four in five deaths involved benzodiazepines.

• One in ten deaths involved alcohol. (2018 data)

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Opioids:

• heroin

• morphine

• methadone

• codeine

• Tramadol

Benzodiazepines/

benzos

Alcohol

Medicines:

• Gabapentin

• Pregabalin

• Quetiapine

• co-codamol

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Some examples of downers

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A downer:

• is anything which can make you feel drowsy;

• slows breathing and heart rate;

• may cause unconsciousness;

• makes you more vulnerable to injury, falls, burns, robbery or assault;

• reduces oxygen levels in the body; and

• may cause brain damage, coma, heart attack and death.

Remember drugs can keep having an effect for much longer than you can feel them.

Mixing downers increases all these risks.

Overdose?

Snoring? Blue lips or fingernails?

Asleep and won’t wake up?

Pale and clammy

skin?

Noisy breathing?

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If you are in crisis, or feeling suicidal and need to talk to someone, please

call Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87.

999Don’t delay!

• Call 999.

• Put the person in the recovery position and do CPR if you know how.

• Use Naloxone.

• Remember, uppers do not help and can make things worse.

For more information about drugs, alcohol or where to obtain Naloxone, contact:

East Ayrshire – Addiction Services 01563 574237 Addaction 01563 558777

North Ayrshire – Addiction Services 01294 476 000 Turning Point Scotland Prevention, Early intervention And Recovery (PEAR) Service 01294 447407 

South Ayrshire – Addiction Services 01292 559 800 Addaction 01292 430529

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Last reviewed: November 2019Leaflet reference: AS16-001-CC PIL code: PIL19-0015

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