A Quick Overview Of Barbiturates

 

A barbiturate is a drug that is able to act as a depressant on your CNS or central nervous system. It has been used for many decades, and has a wide spectrum of possible uses. It can provide mild sedation, or some of them may actually lead to total anesthesia. When compared against anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, barbiturates have similar properties and effects. There are also analgesic qualities to this type of drug, yet not as strong as drugs based upon opiates or other painkilling medications. The main problem with using this particular type of drug as a sedative is that it has very addicting qualities.

Instead of prescribing barbiturates, doctors today usually prescribe benzodiazepines instead. These drugs have an effect on GABA receptors, and therefore can also have similar effects to barbiturates including being a muscle relaxant, plus having the ability to reduce anxiety and sleep problems with some people that take them. There are many different barbiturates to choose from including Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, and Phenobarbital, but due to their addictive nature, these drugs tend to lead to substance abuse, which is why GABA based pharmaceutical remedies are now prescribed instead.

Barbiturates are also capable of passing into a pregnant mother's fetus. When this occurs, the baby may actually be born with withdrawal symptoms, and have trouble breathing after leaving the womb. Nursing mothers would also pass barbiturates into their baby through breast-feeding if they were still in their system. These complications also led doctors and researchers to find something that could act on the central nervous system without causing this type of damage. Stevens- Johnson syndrome has also been associated with taking barbiturates, one of many detrimental conditions that may occur from taking this addictive drug. Hopefully this information will help you realize why you should stay away from barbiturates due to their addicting nature and the health problems they can cause.