All drugs can affect your mental health. Drugs can have an effect on your mood and behaviour and can even lead to long-term mental health problems. When using the word “drugs” we mean recreational drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin, as well as alcohol, tobacco and some prescribed medicines. Drugs may be legal, illegal or controlled (only legal if you have a prescription for them).
Drugs may be:
- Legal – for example nicotine and alcohol.
- Illegal – it is illegal to have them or give them to other people.
- Prescribed – these are drugs used in medicine, such as benzodiazepines; it is legal to take these drugs only if you have a prescription for them. However some drugs can cause mental health side effects if they are misused and even if they are used as prescribed.
- A number of substances previously known as ‘legal highs’ are now illegal – for example, mephedrone.
For more information on how different types of drugs affect your mental health, please see our pages:
- How alcohol affects mental health
- How recreational drugs affect mental health
- How pharmaceutical drugs affect mental health
Disclaimer – Please note we are 3rd year pharmacy students. We are not qualified to provide medical advice. This blog is for information only. Please consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice.