Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 594763

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Do barbiturates make you depressed?

Posted by rjlockhart on January 3, 2006, at 13:40:38

I have taken some barbiturates in the past, pentobarbital, but it was exprired.

I have actually read they make people during the day for anxiety more worse at reality, that it causes imparment more than benzodiazpines, tranquilizers.

Phenobarbitital i KNOW would make anyone depressed, i've read books, articles, and my grandma said she couoldnt function she had to slit them, it was strong, but horrid on mood.

I think it depends on what is happening, if your just having a "nothing" day it would be better, but if you at a high paced work enviorment no wonder you feel like you falling behind.

Anyways im just asking.

Thanks

 

Re: Do barbiturates make you depressed? » rjlockhart

Posted by yxibow on January 3, 2006, at 14:26:16

In reply to Do barbiturates make you depressed?, posted by rjlockhart on January 3, 2006, at 13:40:38

> I have taken some barbiturates in the past, pentobarbital, but it was exprired.
>
> I have actually read they make people during the day for anxiety more worse at reality, that it causes imparment more than benzodiazpines, tranquilizers.
>
> Phenobarbitital i KNOW would make anyone depressed, i've read books, articles, and my grandma said she couoldnt function she had to slit them, it was strong, but horrid on mood.
>
> I think it depends on what is happening, if your just having a "nothing" day it would be better, but if you at a high paced work enviorment no wonder you feel like you falling behind.
>
> Anyways im just asking.
>
> Thanks


Yes, after the fact -- they're abused to get high but you get CNS depression. They're fat soluble and can accumulate and re-enter the system again after they dissolve in human body fat. Depressed for some and dangerous for all except in a hospital or if you have a doctor who has a sky high malpractice insurance. I don't know why people still prescribe barbiturates when benzodiazepines were created expressly for the purpose of replacing their LD50, but I've already ranted on that before :)

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/barbiturates.html

" Barbiturates are dangerous drugs, with a narrow therapeutic index between the dose required for sedation and the dose that will cause coma and death..."

 

Re: Do barbiturates make you depressed?

Posted by med_empowered on January 3, 2006, at 17:56:07

In reply to Re: Do barbiturates make you depressed? » rjlockhart, posted by yxibow on January 3, 2006, at 14:26:16

tranquilizers in general can cause or maintain depression. Benzos usually aren't too bad, although it can and does happen with most of them (particularly tranxene and klonopin).

Barbiturates are really not a good idea for most people, but sometimes they're the only thing that works. If someone has severe insomnia and needs seconal for a week or so, that's really not too big a deal, as long as they're not a high-risk patient.

Amobarbital in particular is good for severe anxiety, insomnia, and treatment of catatonia....since even today docs tend to use super-high dose antipsychotics and/or electroshock for catatonic stupor, Amobarbital presents a relatively benign option.

Overall, though, I think benzos are the way to go for most people...from what I've read, lack of response to benzos usually means either the patient isn't getting enough of the benzo in question OR there are other issues (ex: anxiety secondary to psychosis or paranoia) that also need to be addressed. Barbiturates (and Miltown) are probably best suited for anaesthesia and pain relief (ex: Fioricet, Equagesic) and rare use in psychiatry.

That said..apparently, the whole issue of addiction to barbiturates (like the issue of addiction to benzos) has been way overblown. If you go back and read medical articles from the 60s and 70s, alot of docs still RX'd barbs b/c for *most* patients they were safe and effective. High-risk patients and highly disturbed patients did better on benzos.

Good luck!

 

Re: Do barbiturates make you depressed? » med_empowered

Posted by Phillipa on January 3, 2006, at 18:16:02

In reply to Re: Do barbiturates make you depressed?, posted by med_empowered on January 3, 2006, at 17:56:07

Was my gynecologist crazy or what. When I was in false labor he gave he two seconals and I didn't even sleep. Fondly, Phillipa. Ps that was in the 70's.


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