Author: John Carter

Barbiturates: Uses, side effects, and risks

A common reason to abuse barbiturates is to counteract the symptoms of other drugs. As a person uses barbiturates more, the difference between a dose that causes the desired effect and that of a fatal overdose becomes narrower. This makes overdoses more common in long-term use such as for more than 2 weeks. Barbiturates are a group of drugs that have calming effects on the body. They can produce effects similar to those of alcohol, ranging from mild relaxation to an inability to feel pain and loss of consciousness.

In addition to having a narrow therapeutic index, barbiturates are also addictive. If taken daily for longer than about 1 month, the brain develops a need for the barbiturate, which causes severe symptoms if the drug is withheld. The effects of barbiturates and alcohol are very similar, and when combined can be lethal. Pain medicines, sleeping pills, and antihistamines also cause symptoms similar to those of barbiturates. Although the medical use of barbiturates has declined since the 1970s, high school surveys suggest misuse has been rising over the last 10 years. Methohexital should be administered exclusively in hospitals or ambulatory care settings equipped to continuously monitor respiratory functions, such as pulse oximetry and cardiac activity.

Relapse prevention has been found to be most effective when it involves several individuals from various parts of the addicted individual’s life. That might include the person’s primary care doctor, substance abuse and mental health counselors, physician addiction specialists, as well as family, friends, clergy, and law enforcement professionals. Phenobarbital continues to be used as a second-line antiepileptic drug in the United States and has frequent use in low-resource countries as a first-line drug due to its low cost. Various barbiturates have been either discontinued or substituted with benzodiazepines. This activity outlines the indications, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, administration, adverse effects, contraindications, and toxicology of certain barbiturates.

Barbiturate Addiction Treatment Levels of Care

While barbiturates are useful for the above listed, some of these uses are less common in certain countries. For example, barbiturates are less common for pre-anesthesia in the United States because many newer drugs are more effective and have fewer side effects. The most common uses are for anesthesia reasons, treating epilepsy and nonepileptic seizures, insomnia and other conditions. Diagnosis in a hospital emergency department, however, concentrates on diagnosing other potential reasons for the person to be drowsy, such as other drugs taken, head injury, stroke, infection, or shock.

1. The doctor cannot give appropriate treatment for barbiturate abuse over the telephone.
2. People who are withdrawing may experience anxiety, disorientation, and visual hallucinations.
3. Barbiturates are a group of drugs in the class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics, which generally describes their sleep-inducing and anxiety-decreasing effects.
4. Phenobarbital, for example, is common for treating seizures that resist first-line anti-seizure medications.
5. If you recognize addiction symptoms in your teenager—such as increased mood swings that alternate between sedation and isolation and any other signs of abuse—it is important that you take action immediately.

The healthcare team must be proficient in resuscitating a patient in the event of an overdose, often necessitating MICU-level care and consultation with a critical care clinician. In cases of severe overdose, consultation with a toxicologist is advisable. A psychiatrist should be consulted once the patient has recovered in case of an overdose. Barbiturates have historically been a widely prescribed class of drugs in outpatient and inpatient settings. Barbiturates are classified as controlled substances, necessitating adherence to all DEA prescription requirements. The prescription drug monitoring program serves to identify potential misuse and abuse.[76] Benzodiazepines have primarily replaced them when used for anti-anxiety or insomnia.

Barbiturate Misuse

Some people abuse these drugs because they desire the pleasant psychoactive effects of barbiturates, which are similar to those of alcohol. These effects include making the user feel happy, relaxed, more talkative, and less inhibited. Chronic abusers can develop severe withdrawal symptoms within 8 to 15 hours of cessation. Symptoms include restlessness, tremors, hyperthermia, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, seizures, circulatory failure, and potentially death. These diagnostic efforts take place while the person is being treated. Abusing barbiturates is extremely dangerous and can lead to severe short- and long-term physical and psychological symptoms, physical dependence, and accidental death.

They also combine well with other medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol® or Paracetamol®) to treat certain conditions. Barbiturates belong to the sedative-hypnotic class of medications. Hypnotics make you drowsy (their name comes from the word “hypnos,” which means “sleep” in Greek). For more information about barbiturates and misuse, visit eMedicine’s patient education articles “Drug Overdose,” “Drug Dependence and Abuse,” and “Substance Abuse.” Barbiturates have a narrow therapeutic index and can cause coma or death if taken inappropriately. Medical care in a hospital is typically needed to treat barbiturate withdrawal.

The patient outcome depends on the amount of barbiturate taken, the specific barbiturate used, other drugs that were ingested or injected, promptness of medical care, and comorbidities. Individuals with other significant health conditions, such as heart and pulmonary disease, may have a more complicated clinical course. For example, an individual with coronary artery atherosclerosis and/or cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart) will be already prone to suffering a myocardial infarction.

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

Though they’re not as common anymore, these medications still help people with a wide range of medical conditions. However, you should use them cautiously, taking them exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider can tell you more about what to expect and how to use these medications so they help you as they should. If you notice withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking barbiturate medications, you should talk to your healthcare provider. Telling them about these symptoms means they can help reduce your dose until these symptoms stop. That can help you avoid problems related to barbiturate misuse, such as barbiturate addiction.

However, their use in most areas of medicine has largely been supplanted by that of other, safer medications. Taking these medications as prescribed can reduce the risk of developing dependence, but some people may still have this problem. In severe cases, barbiturate withdrawal is dangerous or even deadly.

Barbiturate Addiction Treatment Programs

Barbiturate use disorder is a medical condition that develops from long-term misuse of a barbiturate. You are not able to stop even though the misuse causes physical or social problems. With aggressive treatment in the hospital, most people survive.

Physical Health

Barbiturates are a group of drugs in the class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics, which generally describes their sleep-inducing and anxiety-decreasing effects. Addiction can result from using high doses of this group of medications for as little as one month, and withdrawal symptoms may be life threatening. Individuals suffering from barbiturate overdose typically do well if they receive prompt medical treatment and are otherwise healthy.

A major problem is that they can cause tolerance and dependence. This decline is mainly due to the development of newer, safer drug alternatives. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. They’re older medications, which means they have decades of research to back them up. They can also serve as backup when the first-line medications don’t work.