Posted by ed_uk on October 27, 2006, at 14:39:46
In reply to Re: Phenobarbital for Anxiety » ed_uk, posted by yxibow on October 27, 2006, at 3:16:21
>It is not a second line agent typically either
No, it isn't, but that doesn't mean that it's pointless.
>But they both act on GABA
So do a lot of the other anticonvulsants, but their effects are not the same. For a start, phenobarbital and benzodiazepines bind to different receptors in the brain. Phenobarbital is not simply a 'less safe version of a benzo', it is a drug with a different mechanism of action. You cannot predict the efficacy of pheno based on whether or not a benzo was effective. The opposite is also true.
>However, the LD50 is still significantly more than clonazepam or diazepam
A large number of drugs are potentially dangerous in overdose. This does not make them pointless however. Phenobarbital still has a role in the treatment of epilepsy when other drugs have not worked or have caused intolerable side effects.
>Donnatal
Interesting. We don't have any pheno combinations in the UK. Pheno is only available on its own, as 15mg, 30mg and 60mg tablets, and as an injection.
Ed
poster:ed_uk
thread:697393
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061020/msgs/698211.html