Barbiturate Overdose: Symptoms, Effects, & Risks

Cyanosis, a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes may also occur due to the lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. If you become physically dependent on barbiturates or use them with alcohol or opioids, you may experience withdrawal if you try to stop or reduce your dose suddenly. Barbiturate withdrawal symptoms can be painful and dangerous, often requiring medical care.

What is a Lethal Dose of Barbiturates?

Treatment for barbiturate overdose requires prompt medical attention and careful management. If an overdose is suspected, it is essential to seek medical help immediately and follow all instructions provided by healthcare providers. Prevention is also crucial, and individuals should only take barbiturates as prescribed by a healthcare provider to avoid the risk of fatal overdose. One of the primary dangers of acute barbiturate poisoning is respiratory depression, which can lead to breathing difficulties and, in severe cases, complete respiratory failure. Barbiturates have the ability to depress the CNS and slow down the activity of the brain, including the part of the brain that controls breathing. This can cause breathing to become shallow or stop altogether, leading to dangerously low levels of oxygen in the body.

Are barbiturates dangerous?

Tolerance, other medications, weight, and several other factors affect the dosage required for a person to experience barbiturates overdose. In addition to medical treatment, individuals who overdose on barbiturates may benefit from supportive care and counseling. This may include emotional support, such as talking to a mental health professional or joining a support group, to address the underlying issues that may have contributed to the overdose. Cardiovascular collapse is another potential complication of acute barbiturate poisoning.

Barbiturate Overdose Symptoms

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Additional and Relevant Useful Information for Barbiturate Intoxication and Overdose:

Barbiturates have been used in medicine since the 1900s, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. Though illicit use of barbiturates has declined in recent years, they may still be abused in pill or injection forms. Barbiturates are commonly involved in polydrug abuse to enhance the effects of other drugs, such as alcohol or opioids.

Emergency medical services may arrive in time to save the life of the person overdosing, and emergency dispatchers can coach you through taking the necessary steps to keep the person alive. Your healthcare provider may perform additional tests to rule out other clinical conditions to arrive at a definitive diagnosis. Our supervised medical detox program provides a safe and comfortable environment to manage the physical symptoms of withdrawal, allowing you to transition to one of our treatment programs with minimal discomfort. We offer detox and inpatient, and can refer you to aftercare programs that offer intensive outpatient, outpatient, virtual IOP, and dual diagnosis treatment, all of which are tailored to your individual needs and preferences. Barbiturates have legitimate medical uses, but they can be dangerous. If you abuse barbiturates or become addicted, a potentially fatal overdose is more likely.

Used as an anesthetic in animals, this barbiturate overdose definition drug formerly used to treat seizures and convulsions has the dubious distinction of being one of the preferred drugs used for state executions in the U.S. Benzodiazepines have largely replaced barbiturates in most medical uses. Barbiturates became popular during the 1960s and 1970s in treating seizures, sleep problems, and anxiety.

• Barbiturates are a class of drugs derived from barbituric acid that act as depressants to the central nervous system.
• Medical professionals may also prescribe this drug to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
• Barbiturate overdose, also called barbiturate poisoning, happens when a person takes a toxic or lethal dose of barbiturate drugs.
• We offer detox and inpatient, and can refer you to aftercare programs that offer intensive outpatient, outpatient, virtual IOP, and dual diagnosis treatment, all of which are tailored to your individual needs and preferences.

Barbiturates may also be used to induce a coma in cases of intracranial pressure (ICP). Never combine barbiturates with other depressant medications, including alcohol, and call 911 immediately if you suspect an overdose. If your symptoms are severe, you may stay in the hospital longer so that the medical team can provide you with supportive detox treatment while you undergo withdrawal. Most barbiturates aren’t for long-term use, so you might need to see your healthcare provider for follow-up.

However, barbiturates are still prescribed or obtained illicitly, and their misuse, whether intentional or not, can lead to grave harm or death. The presentation of barbiturate toxicity includes a spectrum of effects ranging from sedation to coma, respiratory depression to apnea, and vasodilation to profound hypotension. Thus, emergent and intensive care is required with significant intoxication. Patients with comorbid conditions are at higher risk for toxicity than patients without.

At California Detox in Laguna Beach, we offer a range of evidence-based treatment programs to help you overcome your addiction to barbiturates and achieve lasting recovery. Although there is no barbiturates antidote, there are some treatments that can be administered to help mitigate the symptoms of overdose and potentially save someone’s life. A dangerous aspect of barbiturates is their tendency to become lethal when present in high concentrations within the bloodstream.

It is crucial to emphasize that the best course of action in barbiturate overdose cases is immediate medical intervention and professional care. Additionally, prevention is paramount, and using barbiturates should be closely monitored and regulated by qualified healthcare providers to minimize the risk of overdose. Other alarming signs of barbiturate overdose include extreme lethargy, coma, and seizures. Barbiturates are a class of medications known for their ability to induce relaxation and drowsiness in individuals.

• They are used for anesthesia and to treat epilepsy, non-epileptic seizures, insomnia, and various other conditions.
• The first and most important thing to do if you suspect somebody is experiencing a barbiturates overdose is call 911.
• In addition, a thorough patient history should be obtained that includes the drugs taken, the amount taken, the route used for drug administration, past medical history, and other prescribed medications.
• Barbiturates are commonly involved in polydrug abuse to enhance the effects of other drugs, such as alcohol or opioids.

Barbiturates and benzodiazepines aren’t the same types of medications, but they’re very similar. They both can stop seizures, cause you to relax and feel less anxious, or can help you feel drowsy and fall asleep when you receive general anesthesia. Barbiturates belong to the sedative-hypnotic class of medications. Hypnotics make you drowsy (their name comes from the word “hypnos,” which means “sleep” in Greek). Call your local emergency number, such as 911, if someone has taken barbiturates and seems extremely tired or has breathing problems. In select and extreme cases of overdose, dialysis (kidney machine) may be used to help remove the medicine from the blood.

Phenobarbital is one of the most common prescription anticonvulsants in the world. In the United States, this barbiturate medication is a second-line treatment for epilepsy. This medication is an anticonvulsant with low toxicity, meaning it has fewer side effects. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor.

Outpatient treatment provides all the same treatments as an inpatient but with a lower intensity. People attending outpatient treatment live at home and attend treatment a few times a week for a few hours. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we’re more than just an information hub – we genuinely care about your health journey. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies.

These drugs also affect the CNS in several ways and can produce effects ranging from mild sedation to a coma depending on the dosage. This article discusses what barbiturates are, how they work, and their potential side effects. The most common uses are for anesthesia reasons, treating epilepsy and nonepileptic seizures, insomnia and other conditions.