Barbiturate abuse

Barbiturate abuse is much less common now than it was 25 years ago. What is the main reason ... 

Barbiturate abuse is on the rise. In addition, some U.S. soldiers in Korea concoct speedballs, a mixture of amphetamines and heroin. 

The AMA began warning people about barbiturate abuse in articles with titles like 1,250,000 Doses A Year. That article appeared in a 1942 issue of Hygeia, an AMA magazine published for a general audience. 

People at risk of barbiturate abuse and addiction include alcoholics and abusers of opiates, sedative-hypnotics, and amphetamines. 

When barbiturates first went on the market during the 1930s, people in the United States did not need a prescription to buy them. Lawmakers soon realized that barbiturates were addictive. Some states adopted laws that banned the sale of nonprescription barbiturates. The federal government took similar action after the Food and Dmg Administration gained regulatory power in 1938. That set the stage for a 40-year battle against barbiturate abuse. 

Amphetamine and barbiturate abuse was so widespread that the FDA worked from the 1940s through the 1960s on that problem. The FDA prosecuted doctors and pharmacies, while other federal agencies combatted illegal sales of prescription drugs. 

R. Gill, A. H. Stead, and A. C. Moffat, Analytical aspects of barbiturate abuse Identification of drugs by the effective combination of gas-liquid, high-performance liquid and thin-layer chromatographic techniques, J. Chromatogr., 204 215 (1981). 

Despite early enthusiasm for these supposedly safe new drugs, there are some serious problems. Many users are under the impression that you can t overdose on BZDs, but this isn t true. These drugs have only a slight effect on respiration when used alone, but because they don t produce as much of a rush or euphoria as barbiturates, abusers often take them with other drugs. 

Illegal use of barbiturates can lead to many serious consequences, and these drugs should never be considered safe, unless prescribed and monitored closely by a physician. Tolerance can easily develop, and a small increase in dose can lead to intoxication or overdose. The withdrawal effects of barbiturate abuse, like other drugs, are very unpleasant and can cause abusers to continue abusing for fear of feeling worse than ever before if they were to stop. With the help of treatment centers and doctors, however, abusers can overcome the symptoms of withdrawal and stay on the road to addiction recovery. 

There are no drugs that can be used in the treatment of barbiturate abuse or addiction, but it is good to have some knowledge of those available to treat other addictions. For a friend or parent addicted to another drug, there may be legal drugs they can take to help them kick the habit. 

Other types of medications may be used to treat people going through drug abuse treatment for anxiety that may develop or for any sort of psychological problems the patient may have. So while no drugs are available to directly treat barbiturate addiction, a patient suffering from barbiturate abuse... 

With aggressive treatment in the hospital and counseling, most people survive barbiturate abuse. However, even with aggressive therapy, some patients die. A person s outcome after abusing barbiturates depends on many factors, such as ... 

Barry, J. Dave and Christopher Beach. Barbiturate Abuse. Available online. URL http //www.emedicinehealth.com/barbiturate abuse/article em.htm. Downloaded February 28, 2006. 

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