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Book

Barbiturate Toxicity

Jolee T. Suddock, Kristen J. Kent  1 , Angela C. Regina  2 , Matthew D. Cain  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Barbiturate Toxicity

Jolee T. Suddock et al.
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Excerpt

Barbiturates are sedative-hypnotic drugs. They are derivates of barbituric acid and were introduced clinically in the early 1900s. Over the past 120 years, barbiturates have been used for a broad spectrum of indications, including insomnia, psychiatric disorders, anesthesia, alcohol withdrawal, seizures, and elevated intracranial pressure. These drugs have a narrow therapeutic index, are highly addictive, and carry a high risk for toxicity. Thus, the use of these drugs has declined mainly in the last several decades in favor of agents with more favorable safety profiles. Despite a lower rate of barbiturate utilization overall, barbiturate toxicity is still a prevalent cause of significant morbidity and mortality that requires prompt and effective care to mitigate.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Jolee Suddock declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Kristen Kent declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Angela Regina declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Matthew Cain declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

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