Barbiturates are a class of drugs that are used as central nervous system depressants. They are medications that cause relaxation, drowsiness, and can stop or prevent convulsions and seizures. Barbiturates have been used since the early 1900s and were popular in the 1960s and 1970s as treatment for anxiety, insomnia, or seizure disorders. They have been largely replaced by benzodiazepines for these purposes because benzodiazepines are less toxic in drug overdose. However, barbiturates are still used as anticonvulsants and general anesthetics.
Barbiturates enhance the action of GABA, a neurotransmitter that inhibits the activity of nerve cells in the brain. They slow down the central nervous system and cause sleepiness. In small doses, the person who misuses barbiturates feels drowsy, disinhibited, and intoxicated. In higher doses, the user staggers as if drunk, develops slurred speech, and is confused. At even higher doses, the person is unable to be aroused (coma) and may stop breathing. Death is possible.
Some common barbiturates include phenobarbital, methohexital, butalbital, pentobarbital, primidone, and amobarbital. Barbiturates have a narrow therapeutic index and can cause coma or death if taken inappropriately. This is especially true in children and elderly persons.
