I have to say- in comparison to other drugs I know relatively little about barbituates (well, I know a few things but am not really even sure if they are true) as I have only personally taken one once (phenobarbital for a couple days in a detox that used phenobarb. and clonidine plus basic comfort meds like ibuprofen, etc. for opioid withdrawal) and that was in a low dose and during other WDs so it was hard to gauge. Recently, I did have a friend (and no I'm not swimming- it really was someone else) who had some sort of pill that had a barbituate in combination with some other medication and I think was used for migranes or something of that nature? He was older (like in his 50s) and I have always thought of barbituates as something used more commonly before benzos were as developed and widespread. He claimed barbs were more like alcohol than benzos are, and even claimed they had some of the same physical effects such as vomiting/upset stomach? I guess here are some things I'd like to know or like to know if they are true about barbituates in case I need to give someone info or if I myself end up having an opportunity to use them:
-Barbituates are rare now b/c they were replaced by benzos due to benzos being less likely, at least on their own, to cause respiratory depression and death at higher doses.
- Phenobarbital is seemingly the barb you most often see now because it is long lasting (long half life) and sometimes used in detox. Seems to be somewhat less abusable and dangerous than seconal which was one of the commonly abused barbs in the past.
-Barbituates are even worse to withdraw from than benzos and are more on the level with alcohol as far as WD danger goes (I've heard that while benzo WD can cause seizures it isn't quite as bad/dangerous as alcohol or barbituates
-Seconal is used in physician assisted suicide in some places where it is legal (I would have assumed morphine or a mixture of some sort of opioid and depressant would be used but it seems it is a very large dose of seconal when a physician assists suicide with a prescription the patient can take at home).
- What were quaaludes? And the couple of research chems, which I don't see as much as before, which were supposedly like quaaludes (etqualone?)? Are they barbituates? I thought they were some kind of euphoric downer but they seem to sort of be in a class of their own?
This is mostly out of curiousity; barbs seem pretty rare outside of the inpatient setting and quaaludes non-existant pretty much in the world today. But they are one of the few groups I don't know very much about and I think I could only name two (pheno, seconal) barbituates. I know I can look some stuff up- that is where I got the statements above, but it can be hard to really understand a substance as well as the way it is described by people who actually have experience with it.
-Barbituates are rare now b/c they were replaced by benzos due to benzos being less likely, at least on their own, to cause respiratory depression and death at higher doses.
- Phenobarbital is seemingly the barb you most often see now because it is long lasting (long half life) and sometimes used in detox. Seems to be somewhat less abusable and dangerous than seconal which was one of the commonly abused barbs in the past.
-Barbituates are even worse to withdraw from than benzos and are more on the level with alcohol as far as WD danger goes (I've heard that while benzo WD can cause seizures it isn't quite as bad/dangerous as alcohol or barbituates
-Seconal is used in physician assisted suicide in some places where it is legal (I would have assumed morphine or a mixture of some sort of opioid and depressant would be used but it seems it is a very large dose of seconal when a physician assists suicide with a prescription the patient can take at home).
- What were quaaludes? And the couple of research chems, which I don't see as much as before, which were supposedly like quaaludes (etqualone?)? Are they barbituates? I thought they were some kind of euphoric downer but they seem to sort of be in a class of their own?
This is mostly out of curiousity; barbs seem pretty rare outside of the inpatient setting and quaaludes non-existant pretty much in the world today. But they are one of the few groups I don't know very much about and I think I could only name two (pheno, seconal) barbituates. I know I can look some stuff up- that is where I got the statements above, but it can be hard to really understand a substance as well as the way it is described by people who actually have experience with it.
