a group of drugs, used as sedatives and tranquilizers, that depress the central nervous system and respiration, decrease blood pressure, and affect heart rate
A barbiturate is a drug which people take to make them calm or to help them to sleep. She was addicted to barbiturates. a powerful drug that makes people calm and helps them to sleep (barbituric acid type of acid (19-21 centuries), from barbitursäure, from Barbara female name + säure ). Any of a class of heterocyclic compounds based on the parent structure, uric acid, and used in medicine. They depress the central nervous system, acting particularly on certain parts of the brain, though they tend to depress the functioning of all the body's tissues. Long-acting barbiturates (e.g., barbital and phenobarbital) are used to treat epilepsy. Intermediate ones (e.g., amobarbital) are used to treat insomnia, short-acting ones (e.g., pentobarbital) to overcome difficulty in falling asleep (one aspect of insomnia), and ultra-short-acting ones (e.g., thiopental sodium) to induce unconsciousness in surgical patients before administration of other anesthetics. Prolonged use of barbiturates may lead to addiction. Sudden withdrawal can be fatal; addicts must be weaned from the drug under medical supervision. Overdoses can result in coma and even death; barbiturates are particularly dangerous, even at normal doses, when combined with alcoholic beverages
a class of drugs (e g , phenobarbital) that have sedative properties and depress respiratory rate, blood pressure and nervous system activity
Class of chemically related sedative-hypnotic compounds, all of which share a characteristic six-membered ring structure
A group of drugs derived from barbituric acid that is used to sedate, to control convulsions, or to induce sleep Blood and urine tests can determine toxic levels of these compounds Barbiturates may be habit forming
Powerful drugs used for sedation, to help induce sleep and sometimes to prevent seizures Except for use in seizures (phenobarbital), barbiturates are being used less and less because there are better, less hazardous drugs that produce the same or better effects These drugs include amobarbital, aprobarbital, butabarbital, mephobarbital, metharbital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital, secobarbital, secobarbital and amobarbital, talbutal
The largest and most common group of the synthetic sedative/hypnotics In small doses, they are effective tranquilizers used in sedation and in relieving tension and anxiety In larger doses, they are used as hypnotics (sleep inducers) When large dosages are not followed by sleep, signs of mental confusion, euphoria, and even stimulation may occur -- effects that are similar to those of alcohol