Addiction Drug Use Prescription Medications Common Street Names for Depressants By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial process Buddy T Fact checked by Fact checked by Adah Chung on September 27, 2020 linkedin Adah Chung is a fact checker, writer, researcher, and occupational therapist. Learn about our editorial process Adah Chung on September 27, 2020 Print Jonathan Nourok / The Image Bank / Getty Images As with illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are often referred to by nicknames or depressants: Mexican Reds. When prescription drugs make their way to the street to be sold for misuse or nonmedical use, they often are given street names to disguise the topic of conversations that might be overheard. If you hear these phrases in your kids' conversations, it may be worth probing to see if they are, in fact, talking about prescription medications. And your teenager needs to be aware that just because a drug has a cute-sounding name doesn't mean it's safe. Kids need to know that a prescription medication that isn't prescribed for them is potentially as dangerous as street drugs. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines, which are medications prescribed as sedatives or tranquilizers to treat anxiety and insomnia have several street names based on different features. Usually, these drugs get nicknames based on either the appearance of the pills, effects of the drug, cultural aspects of their usage and sometimes for people or fictional characters. Prescription Drug Nicknames Based on Appearance In the case of depressants, many street names refer to the color(s) of the pills or capsules. Blue Bullets Blue Birds Blue Angels Blue Tips Blue Heavens Blue Dolls Blue Devil Green Frog Green Dragons Marshmallow Reds Pink Ladies Red Bullets Red and Blue Rainbows Reds Strawberries Nicknames Based on the Effects of Depressants Another common source for the street name of a drug is the effect that it has on the user. Because barbiturates and benzodiazepines act to depress the central nervous system, many slang names for depressants refer to slowing down. Block Busters Busters Downer Double Trouble Goofers Drowsy High Downer Idiot Pills Lay Back Stumbler Stoppers Drug Nicknames Based on Actual Drug Names For depressants, one of the most common sources for nicknames comes from the real names of the medications. Many suppressant street names are shortened or alternative versions of their brand names or generic medication names. Barbies Barb Bambs Luds Ludes Nimbies Nemmies Nebbies Quad Phenos Phennies Quas Softballs Seggy Seccy Sopers Tuie Tranq Tooties Tooles Cultural or Colloquial References for Drugs Some drug street names come from how, when and where they are used. Cultural references and colloquial uses can become nicknames for sedatives and tranquilizers just as they can for illicit drugs. Christmas Rolls Chorals Dolls Disco Biscuits Gangster Pills Gorilla Pills Geography-Based Names for Drugs For illegal drugs, the geographic origin of the drug can be a factor in the forming of a nickname. The same is not necessarily so for pharmaceutical medications, but there's one geographical name for depressants: Mexican Reds. Drug Names Based on People and Fictional Characters Almost all drugs of abuse have a group of nicknames that refer to people or fictional characters. Some of them are logical uses of the name, while others don't seem to make any sense at all. The same is true for some street names of depressants. Mickey Finn King Kong Pills Mother's Little Helper Mighty Joe Young Mickeys Purely Deceptive Names for Drugs Like most drug slang terms, some nicknames for depressants have origins that do not seem to make any sense at all. The names are seemingly created for no other reason than to disguise the topic of conversation. Of course, that's the reason that most drug street names are created. Backwards Coral Joy Juice Jellies Peth Using Drugs Without a Prescription Is Illegal Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Fleary SA, Heffer RW, Mckyer EL. Understanding Nonprescription and Prescription Drug Misuse in Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood. J Addict. 2013;2013:709207. doi:10.1155/2013/709207 Griffin CE, Kaye AM, Bueno FR, Kaye AD. Benzodiazepine Pharmacology and Central Nervous System-Mediated Effects. Ochsner J. 2013;13(2):214-223. Additional Reading U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Barbiturates. Updated 2020. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Benzodiazepines. Updated 2020. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Drugs of Abuse. A DEA Resource Guide 2020 Edition. Updated 2020. Speak to a Therapist for Addiction Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.