What is an example of a barbiturate drug?

What is an example of a barbiturate drug?

Barbiturates are available under the following different brand names: amobarbital (Amytal), secobarbital (Seconal), butabarbital (Butisol), pentobarbital (Nembutal), belladonna and phenobarbital (Donnatal), butalbital/acetaminophen/caffeine (Esgic, Fioricet), and butalbital/aspirin/caffeine (Fiorinal Ascomp, Fortabs).

What are barbiturate drugs used for?

Barbiturates were first used in medicine in the early 1900s and became popular in the 1960s and 1970s as treatment for anxiety, insomnia, or seizure disorders. They evolved into recreational drugs that some people used to reduce inhibitions, decrease anxiety, and to treat unwanted side effects of illicit drugs.

How do barbiturates cause death?

Barbiturate overdose may occur by accident or purposefully in an attempt to cause death. The toxic effects are additive to those of alcohol and benzodiazepines. The lethal dose varies with a person’s tolerance and how the drug is taken. The effects of barbiturates occur via the GABA neurotransmitter.

Are barbiturates used for anxiety?

Barbiturates increase the activity of a chemical in the brain that helps transmit signals. This chemical is known as gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). As a medication, they reduce muscle spasms, relieve anxiety, prevent seizures, and induce sleep.

How does a barbiturate make you feel?

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.

Is Ativan a barbiturates?

A class of drugs known as benzodiazepines has largely replaced barbiturates for both medical and recreational use, although benzodiazepines also carry a high risk of physical dependence and other adverse effects. Examples include Valium and Ativan.

What are side effects of barbiturates?

According to MedicineNet, potential side effects of barbiturates include:

• Lightheadedness.
• Onset of dizziness.
• Sedative effects.
• Nausea.
• Abdominal pain.
• Vomiting.

How does barbiturates affect the brain?

What does barbituric acid do to the body?

Barbituric acid is a chemical building block in a laboratory synthesis riboflavin (vitamin B 2) and in a method of producing the pharmaceutical drug minoxidil. Overdose of barbiturate drugs can cause respiratory depression and death.

Is the compound barbituric acid soluble in water?

Barbituric acid or malonylurea or 6-hydroxyuracil is an organic compound based on a pyrimidine heterocyclic skeleton. It is an odorless powder soluble in water.

Can a barbiturate be used as a free acid?

Barbiturates can in most cases be used either as the free acid or as salts of sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, lithium, etc. Codeine- and Dionine-based salts of barbituric acid have been developed.

Which is the best description of a barbiturate?

Barbituric acid, the basic structure of all barbiturates. A barbiturate is a drug that acts as a central nervous system depressant, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to death. Barbiturates are effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential.