Barbiturates
There is a saying that any medicine without proper dosage turns into poison. Barbiturates include barbituric acid, which is addictive when used over a long period of time. Intoxication with barbiturates includes several stages and a difficult period of “coming off”. In order to repeat the past experience of barbiturate intoxication, a person looks for ways to obtain drugs illegally and even goes to theft.
What it is
Barbiturates are a group of drugs containing barbituric acid. Such medications are used for insomnia and exacerbation of certain mental illnesses.
Substances taken orally are absorbed into the small intestine, and when they enter the bloodstream they accumulate in liver cells. This acid causes a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses, blocks the production of acetylcholine (this causes a sedative effect) and reduces the activity of GABA. Metabolites of active substances accumulate in cells and tissues, leading to intoxication of the body.
Composition of barbiturates
On the official list, about 50 drugs of this group are commercially sold. Barbiturates are synthesized using a combination of urea and dialkylmalonic acid esters. In some cases, urea is mixed with dicyandiamide.
There are ultra-short, short, medium and long-acting drugs. Long-acting medications are most often used for epilepsy.
Formula
Barbituric acid has the formula C4H4N2O3. Self-administration of this group of medications can lead to addiction and serious pathologies of internal organs. It is necessary to know where barbiturates are contained in order to prevent possible negative consequences from use and check the current dosage with your doctor.
List of barbiturates without prescription
When severe insomnia or a panic attack occurs, pharmaceutical drugs based on barbiturates are often used. These include:
- Corvalol (an effective remedy for relieving functional disorders of the cardiovascular system and insomnia. Contains phenobarbital);
- Valocordin (used to relieve cardiac disorders and normalize the functioning of the central nervous system);
- Andipal is a substance for the relief of headaches and migraines, and also has a sedative effect due to the inclusion of phenobarbital.
Self-administration of drugs based on these groups can cause addiction. This means that if insomnia and functional disorders of the cardiovascular system occur, the most successful solution would be to contact a specialist. Before using prescription medications (Barbamyl, Phenobarbital, Amobarbital, etc.), you must read the instructions and follow the dosage.
Effect of barbiturates: effect on the body
This group of drugs has a depressant effect on the nervous system by slowing down the neurotransmitters GABA. The drugs have the following effects:
- Slow reactions and impaired coordination;
- Feeling of euphoria and peace;
- Drowsiness, weakness. Legs become “wobbly”;
- Increased mood, short-term aggressiveness.
After taking the drug, a person experiences a short-term euphoria associated with calmness, and then falls asleep. After waking up, the pupils remain wide, and a painful reaction to light occurs. A migraine, nausea, weakness, and a state of “overwhelm” appear. As addiction develops, abstinence occurs.
Drug use
Barbiturates have a complex effect on the body. The nervous, cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract and even the human brain are involved. Most often, medications are taken enterally (in this case, absorption occurs in the small intestine). Sometimes drugs based on barbituric acid are used intravenously. Once in the bloodstream, the drug is metabolized by liver cells.
Exceeding the recommended dosage of the medication is fraught with the occurrence of acute intoxication. The heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, consciousness becomes confused, and the person loses consciousness. Failure to provide first aid can result in death.
Time and mechanism of action
When the drug is administered intravenously, the effect occurs rapidly; enteral administration leads to changes in well-being 30-40 minutes after administration. The duration of action of the drug is 3-4 hours.
Are there barbiturates in alcohol?
Alcohol does not contain barbiturates, but the mechanism of action of substances on the central nervous system has similar features. It is important to note that the combined use of alcohol and medications of this group is strictly contraindicated: such a “duet” leads to severe poisoning of the entire body. Even the minimum dosage of the drug, taken together with alcohol, turns into real poison.
Barbiturate drug addicts: pupils, behavior
Barbiturate drug addicts have the following distinctive features:
- Drowsiness and inactivity;
- Lethargy, lethargy;
- Slow speech;
- The addict's eyes are half-closed, his movements are slow;
- Due to bradycardia and hypotension caused by the use of barbiturates, the skin becomes cold;
- The man has an unsteady gait.
An overdose of drugs leads to loss of consciousness. It is necessary to provide timely first aid to a person with addiction. It includes gastric lavage (if the addict is conscious) and calling a team of specialists to the house. In an unconscious state, washing is carried out by a narcologist using a probe.
History of discovery and formation of the term
The German scientist Adolf von Bayer was the first to obtain barbituric acid in 1864 by condensing urea and dialkylmalonic acids, which, in turn, were obtained from malic acid.
There is still controversy over the name of the new substance. According to one version, Adolf named him in honor of the girl Barbara, whom he was interested in at that moment. And according to another, barbituric acid owes its name to Saint Barbara, whose name was combined with the Latin name for urea - “urea”.
Types of barbiturates
Barbiturates can only be purchased with a prescription. This group of drugs is taken to treat insomnia, used before surgery, as anesthesia, etc.
Sodium barbiturate
Pentobarbital sodium is otherwise called “Nembutal”. This drug is used to combat insomnia. It is taken enterally or intravenously. Seconal is a short-acting barbiturate with a pronounced tranquilizing effect.
Tablets: hypnotic barbiturates
The most commonly used drugs as sleeping pills are Secobarbital, Allobarbital, and Barbamil. Medicines make it easier to fall asleep and have a tranquilizing effect, but have many side effects. A strong drug is Barbital (Veronal). Taken in powder form, it induces deep sleep.
Barbituric acid preparations
Barbituric acid substances include Phenobarbital and Cyclobarbital. The drugs have anticonvulsant, sedative and analgesic effects.
Barbiturates for anesthesia
Pentobarbital is used in veterinary practice for anesthesia and euthanasia of animals. Tuinal is a strong hypnotic drug, the composition of which is close to opiates. As a result of the compositional characteristics, this substance causes the rapid formation of drug addiction. Veronal is also considered a strong addictive drug.
Addiction is equal to drugs
Barbiturates have been used in medicine as a medical drug since the middle of the last century. Then they were used to treat epilepsy, seizures, chronic pain and a number of mental illnesses. Later, this component was introduced into analgesics and simple sedatives, such as valerian tincture. Doctors soon discovered that regular use of drugs containing barbituric acid leads to tolerance. No matter how many barbiturates a person takes, they will not have the expected effect.
A gradual increase in the prescribed dosage provoked the emergence of an addiction similar to a drug. Today, drugs containing barbiturates are used to treat epilepsy. But preference is given to safer benzodiazepines.
Effects of barbiturates
Self-administration of medications is fraught with complications.
Harm to the body
Barbiturate addiction leads to:
- Decrease in intelligence;
- Chronic fatigue;
- Drowsiness, weakness, decreased appetite, and, consequently, dystrophy;
- Changes in habits: a person becomes secretive, apathetic, loses interest in life;
- Serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, frequent infectious diseases occur, pustules appear on the skin, sallow complexion, etc.
Barbiturate overdose
An overdose of medications leads to depression of consciousness, breathing, and heartbeat. Blood pressure drops sharply and there is a risk of death.
Barbiturate poisoning
In case of barbiturate poisoning, immediate medical attention must be provided. The narcology team will rinse the patient’s stomach, use infusion solutions and symptomatic medications.
Why you can’t undergo rehabilitation at home or on an outpatient basis
You cannot undergo rehabilitation for barbituromania at home. Remember that abrupt refusal of these drugs leads to life-threatening disorders.
Not every patient can receive adequate symptomatic therapy as an outpatient. The doctor cannot provide daily psychological support.
At home, the patient always has access to friends and potential distributors of the drug. If a patient needs to travel to a doctor for consultations, sometimes due to a long distance or laziness, he will remain at home, thereby disrupting the complex of rehabilitation measures.
Barbituromania is one of the most complex addictions. Her treatment should take place in a hospital or special clinics. This is the only way to preserve a person’s health and return him to a full social life.
Barbiturate addiction
The first symptom of the development of barbiturate addiction is the desire to remain constantly intoxicated. The fact is that drug addiction is associated not only with physical withdrawal, but also with mental factors. This means that barbiturate addiction is a consequence of the inability to cope with experiences without drugs. Treatment at a drug treatment clinic will help address the physical effects of addiction, while rehab will address the root cause of the addiction.
Why do people take these drugs
Since their inception, barbiturates have become very popular. By the middle of the 20th century, the list of drugs had grown to two and a half thousand names. They were taken by those who needed to calm down and get rid of problems, who experienced constant tension and problems falling asleep. After it was discovered that the effects of barbiturates were similar to narcotics, their use was greatly reduced. But even now many become dependent on them. It is believed that these are most often people who hate themselves, who have lost interest in life and the need for communication. And despite the fact that barbiturates cause oblivion, heavy sleep and lack of thoughts, they remain popular. This is often why people tend to take such drugs. And besides, under their influence a person stops feeling pain, experiencing emotions and relaxes.
Scope of application
Barbiturates were prescribed (in rare cases and are still prescribed) to patients who are susceptible to certain mental disorders, as well as for insomnia.
Very often used in the initial phase when anesthesia is necessary.
As an anticonvulsant, they are indicated for epilepsy, as they can stop an epileptic attack.
Barbiturates have also found their use in veterinary medicine, due to their ability to painlessly carry out euthanasia. Pentobarbital is used for these purposes.
Mechanism of action
The neurons of the central nervous system contain so-called GABA receptors. And barbiturates have a certain effect on them, due to which the mechanism of opening of chlorine ion channels is triggered and accelerated.
Due to this, chlorine penetrates more quickly through the membrane of the nerve cell, which, in turn, becomes hyperpolarized. As a result, inhibitory processes occur in neurons, on which the speed of the central nervous system reaction to a nerve impulse depends.
