Marilyn Monroe. Judy Garland. Jimi Hendrix. Barbiturates are so lethal, and the risk of overdose is so high that famous barbiturate-related deaths have their own Wikipedia page. But despite the hazards that led many physicians to stop prescribing them in the 1970s, barbiturates are making a comeback, primarily amongst younger people who may not remember the barbiturate overdoses and deaths that were common occurrences in years past. Although barbiturates aren’t as common today as opioids and other drugs, they’re still extremely dangerous. That’s why it’s important to learn about barbiturates, be able to spot the signs of misuse, and know what to do in the event of an overdose.
What Are Barbiturates?
Barbiturates are medications that are classified as sedative-hypnotics. They cause central nervous system depression by enhancing the effect of a neurotransmitter in your brain called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). When taken in appropriate doses, barbiturates cause you to feel relaxed and drowsy. These effects led these drugs to be widely used as tranquilizers and sedatives for the large part of the 20th century.
Barbiturates are manufactured in tablet, capsule, liquid, and injectable forms and are classified as Schedule II, III and IV depressants under the Controlled Substances Act. There are nine different types of barbiturates in clinical use today with durations of action ranging from 30 minutes to 6 hours. Examples of barbiturates include:
- Phenobarbital – Sold under the brand name Luminal, used to treat epilepsy and seizure disorders in young children
- Amobarbital – Sold under the brand name Amytal, used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy
- Methohexital – Sold under the brand names Brevital and Brietal, used to induce anesthesia
- Secobarbital – Sold under the brand name Seconal, used to treat insomnia and epilepsy
- Primidone – Sold under the brand name Mysoline, used to treat seizure disorders and essential tremors
- Pentobarbital – Sold under the brand name Nembutal, used as a sedative, for euthanasia in veterinary settings, and by the United States federal government for executions by lethal injection
Common barbiturates have many street names including Barbs, Downers, Block Busters, Pinks, Red Devils, Reds, Blues, Rainbows, and Yellow Jackets.
History of Barbiturates
German chemist Adolf von Baeyer first created barbituric acid in 1864. However, its potential as a medication wasn’t realized until the early 1900s when scientists discovered that it could be used to put animals to sleep. Barbital was the first barbiturate to come to market and was known by the brand name Veronal. Other derivatives of barbituric acid soon followed and gained popular use as sedatives. By the 1950s, medical professionals recognized that barbiturates were addictive and carried a high risk of fatal overdose.
Are Barbiturates in Use Today?
Barbiturates largely fell out of use in the 1970s in the United States after the government tightened regulation around how they could be used. With fewer legal uses for the drugs, prescriptions declined. Barbiturates were largely replaced by benzodiazepines, another group of hypnotic-sedative medications that produce similar effects but with less potential for addiction and overdose. However, there are specific medical conditions and situations that barbiturates are still used to treat.
Legal Uses for Barbiturates
Currently, barbiturates are infrequently used to treat tension headaches, insomnia, traumatic brain injuries, and pre-surgical anxiety. They may also be used to treat seizure disorders if other medications haven’t proven helpful. Barbiturates can also be used as anesthetics in specific surgical settings if other anesthetic medications aren’t working.
Barbiturates are also used in veterinary settings to treat seizure disorders, to calm animals before they go under anesthesia, and for euthanasia.
Illegal Uses of Barbiturates
With the decline of legitimate uses, barbiturates have become harder to obtain. However, illegal use of barbiturates has risen over the past few years, particularly among adolescents who are too young to remember the well-known overdoses in the 1960s and 1970s that precipitated the drugs’ decline in favor. This new surge in barbiturate use is fueled in part by illegal online sales, making the drugs more accessible than they have been in past decades. Tablets are the most misused form of barbiturates as many people have the misconception that pills are less risky than other street drugs. People who misuse barbiturates report that the drug makes them feel content, relaxed, and euphoric.
Why Are Barbiturates Used for Self-Harm?
Because they are fast-acting and lethal in high doses, barbiturates are sometimes used by people in attempts to take their own lives. A barbiturate overdose can lead to unconsciousness before death, an idea that some people find appealing. Research has shown that in recent years, the number of suicides involving barbiturates has risen while the overall number of suicides has stayed constant.
Side Effects of Barbiturates
The side effects of barbiturates depend on what type of barbiturate you’ve taken, how quickly it takes effect, the dose you took, and how you took it (tablet, liquid, etc.) Known side effects of barbiturates include:
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Feeling unsteady on your feet
- Feeling hungover
- Constipation
- Sleep disruptions
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Inability to concentrate
- Feeling anxious or irritable
- Low blood pressure
Barbiturates can also cause side effects that while less common can be extremely dangerous. If you experience any of the following side effects after taking barbiturates, get medical help immediately.
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Joint pain
- Fever
- Rash
- Swelling in your throat, lips, or face
- Hallucinations
- Confusion
- Depression
- Unusual bleeding or bruising
- Extreme feelings of weakness or tiredness
- Loss of consciousness
Are Barbiturates Addictive?
Barbiturates are highly addictive. Your body can develop tolerance to and dependence on the drug after just one or two weeks of regular doses. Tolerance is when your body becomes accustomed to the effect of a drug, meaning you have to take higher doses to achieve the same effect. Dependence means that you experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug. The propensity of barbiturates to quickly cause tolerance and dependence is one of the main reasons they became unpopular.
Signs of Barbiturate Misuse
People who misuse barbiturates often display the following symptoms of barbiturate intoxication:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Hallucinations
- Memory problems
- Seizures and tremors
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty concentrating
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea and/or vomiting
High Risk of Overdose
Misusing barbiturates puts you at a high risk of an accidental barbiturate overdose. This is because barbiturates have a very narrow therapeutic index. That means that the difference between a safe therapeutic dose and a dangerous overdose is very small. In other words, there is very little margin for error when it comes to taking barbiturates, leading to a larger number of barbiturate overdose deaths.
Some drugs, such as benzodiazepines, have a ceiling effect. This means that beyond a certain dose threshold, the effects of the drug don’t proportionally increase. Barbiturates have less of a ceiling effect, meaning that the more you take, the more they affect you. For this reason, large doses of barbiturates can be highly lethal.
Barbiturates are also extremely dangerous when combined with alcohol or other central nervous system depressants, including benzodiazepines. Mixing barbiturates and alcohol or other drugs can cause you to pass out and have trouble breathing. It can also cause organ damage and even death.
Symptoms of Barbiturate Overdose
Barbiturate overdose isn’t uncommon because making a small error in dosage can have life-threatening and even lethal consequences. That’s why it’s important to know the symptoms of barbiturate overdose, including:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Lack of motor coordination
- Irregular or slowed heartbeat
- Passing out, especially if the person can’t be awakened
- Shortness of breath
- Vertigo
- Confusion
- Hypothermia
- Extreme thirst
- Feeling weak
- Change in the size of your pupils, either very small or very large
- Cyanosis
- Coma
If you or someone you know exhibits even one of these symptoms after taking barbiturates, call 911 or seek medical help immediately. Because barbiturates can be very fast-acting drugs, life-threatening symptoms can come on very quickly. So even if you’re not sure whether someone has overdosed, get medical help right away.
Barbiturate Withdrawal
If you’ve become dependent on barbiturates, you’ll experience severe withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug. Barbiturate withdrawal symptoms include:
- Seizures and tremors
- Hallucinations
- Dangerously high fever
- Tremors
- Extreme agitation
- Sleep disturbances
- Increased or irregular heart rate
- Muscle pain or spasms
- Difficulty breathing
- Chills and sweating
- Rash
- Aggression
- Mood swings
Because withdrawal from barbiturates can be extremely uncomfortable and cause serious health issues, you shouldn’t try to stop using barbiturates on your own. Going through detoxification at a licensed facility will not only make sure you get through detox safely and comfortably, but it also reduces your risk of relapse.
If you or someone you love has become dependent on barbiturates, there is help and hope. Detox West Tennessee’s compassionate, expert staff is here to make barbiturate detox as painless as possible. Detox can last anywhere from three days to a few weeks, during which we use medication and holistic care to manage withdrawal symptoms and make sure you’re safe and comfortable. Our approach to detox is built on decades of experience and puts you on the path to recovery and the full life that you deserve. Call us today at 901-657-5181 or reach out here: https://detoxwesttennessee.com/admissions/. We’re here to help day or night.