Pentobarbital, also known as pentobarbitone in British English and by the brand name Nembutal, is a short-acting psychoactive drug of the barbiturate class which produces powerful anxiolytic, hypnotic, muscle relaxant and amnesic effects. Pentobarbital is used medically as a hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia and as an anticonvulsant in emergency situations. Pentobarbital is also used to put patients into medically induced comas. Pentobarbital works in a similar fashion to benzodiazepines, however barbiturates bind to a distinct allosteric site on the GABAA receptor.
Pentobarbital molecular structure diagram from the DrugsPRO substance library.
Also known as: Nembutal, Novopentobarb, Pentobarbitone, Yellow jackets
Classification
Chemical: Barbiturate
Chemical: Medicine
Psychoactive: Depressant
Tag: Anticonvulsant
Tag: Anxiolytic
Tag: GABAergic
Tag: Habit-Forming
Tag: Muscle Relaxant
Tag: Sedative
Effects
Respiratory Depression
Stimulation
Slurred Speech
Sedation
Muscle Relaxation
Incoordination
Anxiety Suppression
Thought Deceleration
Analysis Suppression
Amnesia
Motor Control Loss
Euphoria
Disinhibition
Dulled Perception
Open Eye Visuals
Double Vision
Blurred Vision
Voices
Routes of Administration
Oral
Dosage
Heavy: 200-300 mg
Light: 25 – 100 mg
Common: 100 – 200 mg
Strong: 200 – 300 mg
Threshold: 25 mg
Duration
Onset: 0.25-1 h
Peak: 1-3 h
Offset: 1-2 h
After Effects: 1-36 h
Intramuscular
Dosage
Common: 150-200 mg
Heavy: 200 mg
Light: 100-150 mg
Duration
No data available for this section yet.
Intravenous
Dosage
Common: 60-100 mg
Heavy: 100 mg
Light: 50-60 mg
Duration
No data available for this section yet.
Harm Reduction
Check interactions before mixing substances, pay attention to dose spacing and hydration, and treat all dosage guidance as approximate rather than guaranteed safe.
Sources
Substance data is aggregated from the following public harm-reduction and reference sources.
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Pentobarbital - DrugsPRO Substanzleitfaden
Pentobarbital: Pentobarbital, also known as pentobarbitone in British English and by the brand name Nembutal, is a short-acting psychoactive drug of the barbiturate class which produces powerful anxiolytic, hypnotic, muscle relaxant and amnesic effects. Pentobarbital is used medically as a hypnotic
