What You Need To Know
Barbiturates are a class of drugs that are used as sedatives. These are generally prescribed for those who have trouble in sleeping. Those who suffer from anxiety are also prescribed this medication. There are various kinds of barbiturates and they have been essentially classified based on the duration for which the effect lasts. Some of the long lasting ones can have an effect for as long as 2 days. Amobarbital, Pentobarbital, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital and Tuinal are all different generic names.
Effects of Barbiturate Consumption
Small doses of barbiturates cause drowsiness, intoxication, and lack of inhibition. Higher doses can result in staggering, slurred speech and confusion. The drug can be fatal if taken in extremely large quantities when people just stop breathing. They sometimes lead to a problem in thinking straight or paying attention. Constant falling, bruised legs, nervousness, shaking, noise sensitivity, restlessness, sweating, hallucinations and insomnia are some of the obvious symptoms that you can notice when someone is addicted to this class of drugs.
Barbiturate Abuse
Barbiturates can be abused because they counter the effect of stimulants. They act like brain relaxers and have an effect that is similar to pain medicines, sleeping pills and antihistamines.
The various categories of this drug are known by a variety of street names that include downers, blue heavens/velvet/devils, nembies, yellow jackets, purple hearts, goof balls, reds, pink ladies, tooies, double trouble and more.
Barbiturates Test
If you suspect that your child has been up to something and abusing barbiturates you may need to take the child to the hospital. In case of extreme drowsiness where you are unable to wake someone, emergency services may be required.
However, if the suspicion that you have is minor and you are not sure whether there is an abuse or not, you could be aided by a barbiturate drug test. This is a simple urine drug test that can be conducted in the privacy of the home. The accuracy of this FDA approved barbiturate test is as high as 95 percent. The detection level is 300 ng per mL and the test can be used up to 7 days after the initial consumption.
Withdrawal Symptoms
Since the drug is addictive, the withdrawal symptoms include weakness, shakiness, restlessness, nervousness, insomnia, abdominal issues, sweating, noise and light sensitivity and more. These are also some of the effects that one experiences when one consumes high levels of barbiturates.
For severe cases of abuse, treatment may include waking the person and then keeping him awake. Sometimes in cases where people stop breathing, a breathing machine may need to be used. Sometimes physicians give a liquid form of active charcoal so that it absorbs and binds with the drug in the stomach, reducing the effect of the barbiturate. Once the immediate threat is over barbiturate abusers need extended rehabilitation and therapy till they can be considered completely drug-free.
You can test for barbiturates by purchasing a Barbiturates Test.
Article by Anne Hamilton.