Pentobarbital | pharmacology | Britannica (original) (raw)

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development of sedative-hypnotic drugs

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  In sedative-hypnotic drug
  …trade names), amobarbital (Amytal), and pentobarbital (Nembutal). When taken in high-enough doses, these drugs are capable of producing a deep unconsciousness that makes them useful as general anesthetics. In still higher doses, however, they depress the central nervous and respiratory systems to the point of coma, respiratory failure, and death.…
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use for sleep disorders

• In barbiturate
  Short-acting barbiturates, such as pentobarbital and secobarbital, are used to overcome difficulty in falling asleep. Ultrashort-acting barbiturates, such as thiopental sodium and thiamylal, are used intravenously to induce unconsciousness smoothly and rapidly in patients about to undergo surgery, after which gaseous anesthetics are used to maintain the unconscious state.
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