Posted by utopizen on August 31, 2004, at 13:41:05
In reply to friend has just overdosed Secotal, emergency!, posted by mmcconathy on August 29, 2004, at 22:34:42
If she wasn't waking up, she was at least in a coma or had acidosis.
Alcohol can cause acidosis-- a.k.a alcohol poisioning- so it's important not to dismiss someone as a "drunk" when they pass out. Anyone passed out needs to go to the hospital A.S.A.P, seconal or not.
It stops respiration and can lead to death. Hopefully she received help fast enough so she'll wake up groggy. But if it's a month dose's worth of Seconal, and she was prescribed to take it each night for insomnia, that I believe may be enough to cause respiratory depression/coma or sudden death.
Maybe she's taking it for convulsions? Although other baributes are generally used for that, and only when benzos like Klonopin have failed.
Siezures are the only acceptable use for barbituates these days, and even that's after the patient's failed lots of alternatives.
Techincally, it's FDA-approved for insomnia, but that's an out-dated indication going back decades and faded out in the 70's.
poster:utopizen
thread:383904
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040830/msgs/384809.html