Barbiturates
Barbiturates are a kind of depressant or sedative drug. They are an old
class of drug used to relax the body and help people sleep.
 Barbiturates were first developed in
1864 and became a popular sleeping
pill.
 Between the 1920s and the mid-
1950s, barbiturates were practically
the only drugs used as sedatives and
hypnotics.
 Sodium pentothal is a barbiturate
often known as “truth serum.” In larger
doses, it has been used in lethal
injection executions.
 Sudden withdrawal from a barbiturate
drug after becoming physically
dependent can result in death.
 Vets sometimes use barbiturates to
put animals to sleep.
Uses
Barbiturates (mainly phenobarbital) are occasionally used by
doctors to treat the following conditions:
seizure disorder (epilepsy)
increased pressure in the skull
severe trauma to the skull
some types of convulsions
Barbiturates are available in pill, liquid, rectal, and injectable forms.
Legal status
In the late 1950s and 1960s, there was an increase in reports of barbiturate
overdoses and dependence problems, and physicians stopped prescribing them.
Eventually, barbiturates were scheduled as controlled drugs.
Presently, barbiturates are nearly nonexistent on the black market. However,
although illegal barbiturate use is rare, it remains an extremely dangerous drug
to abuse because of the high risk of fatal overdose.