Secobarbital
Also called Secobarbitone, Seconal, Quinalbarbitone, Evronal, Hypotrol
Part of the metabolic pathway of Secobarbital. See the timeline on the metabolic highway.
Dosage
Oral bands as drawn from PsychonautWiki's ranges below. The table is the source of truth.
When sources disagree, both rows are shown as published. Nothing is averaged or merged.
Oral
| Source | Threshold | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PsychonautWiki | 20 mg PW | 25–50 mg PW | 50–150 mg PW | 150–300 mg PW | 300 mg+ PW⚠ The source's own markup is broken here, so this is how a reader of the source would see it. |
| TripSit | – | 25–50 mg TS | 50–150 mg TS | 150–300 mg TS | – |
TripSit dose text
TripSit's factsheet also states its doses as text.
Oral Light: 25-50mg Common: 50-150mg Strong: 150-300mg TS
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Duration
Oral, drawn at the midpoint of each PsychonautWiki range.
| Route · source | Onset | Come-up | Peak | Offset | Total | After-effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral · PsychonautWiki | 15–60 minutes PW | – | 4–8 hours PW | 2–4 hours PW | 6–10 hours PW | 1–24 hours PW |
TripSit factsheet
Mixing
For best safety practice, don't mix this drug with other depressants.
Why: respiratory depression. PsychonautWiki says:
- “Respiratory depression (also known as hypoventilation) can be described as a reduced urge to breathe that can be fatal depending on its intensity.” (PsychonautWiki, Respiratory depression, revision 150612)
- “... otherwise safe dosages of these compounds can become fatal when combined with even small amounts of other classes of depressant. For example, benzodiazepines combined with opioids are an extremely common cause of fatal respiratory depression. It is therefore strongly discouraged to combine these depressants at any dosage range.” (PsychonautWiki, Respiratory depression, revision 150612)
- “The most common cause of substance-related deaths is the combination of depressants (such as opiates, benzodiazepines, or alcohol) with other depressants.” (PsychonautWiki, Responsible drug use, revision 168206)
- “This combination potentiates the muscle relaxation, amnesia, sedation, and respiratory depression caused by one another. At higher doses, it can lead to a sudden, unexpected loss of consciousness along with a dangerous amount of depressed respiration.” (PsychonautWiki, dangerous interactions table, "Depressants" row, revision 156847)
Quotes from PsychonautWiki, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Acute combinations: what happens when these are taken close together. Entries backed by a medical journal or agency are listed first.
Backed by medical journals
Other documented combinations
- Depressants (1,4-Butanediol, 2-methyl-2-butanol, alcohol, barbiturates, GHB/GBL, methaqualone, opioids) - This combination can result in dangerous or even fatal levels of respiratory depression. These substances potentiate the muscle relaxation, sedation and amnesia caused by one another and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. There is also an increased risk of vomiting during unconsciousness and death from the resulting suffocation. If this occurs, users should try to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it.Secobarbital is deemed to have an increased incidence of serious adverse effects when used concurrently with other depressants than other depressants. PW⚠ PsychonautWiki lists this combination without a danger rating.
- Dissociatives - This combination can lead to an increased risk of vomiting during unconsciousness and death from the resulting suffocation. If this occurs, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it. PW⚠ PsychonautWiki lists this combination without a danger rating.
- Stimulants - It is unsafe to combine barbiturates with stimulants due to the risk of excessive intoxication. Stimulants decrease the sedative effect of barbiturates, which is the main factor most people consider when determining their level of intoxication. Once the stimulant wears off, the effects of barbiturates will be considerably increased, leading to intensified disinhibition as well as other effects. If combined, one should strictly limit themselves to only dosing a certain amount of barbiturates per hour. This combination can also potentially result in severe dehydration if hydration is not monitored. PW⚠ PsychonautWiki lists this combination without a danger rating.
Risks and toxicity
Secobarbital likely has moderate toxicity relative to dose. However, secobarbital is potentially lethal when mixed with depressants like alcohol or opioids. Secobarbital has a higher risk of death or serious adverse effects associated with concurrent depressant use than other drugs such as benzodiazepines. There have been studies linking the use of barbiturates, particularly phenobarbital, with the development of cancer.[3] PW⚠ The source's own markup is broken here, so this is how a reader of the source would see it.
It is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices when using this drug. PW
Tolerance and addiction potential
Secobarbital is extremely physically and psychologically addictive. Barbiturate withdrawal is medically serious and can potentially cause a life-threatening withdrawal syndrome that can cause seizures, psychosis, and death. Drugs that lower the seizure threshold, such as tramadol and amphetamine should be avoided during withdrawal. If an individual is addicted to a short-acting barbiturate such as secobarbital, switching to a longer acting drug such as phenobarbital may be of some benefit. PW
Tolerance will develop to the sedative-hypnotic effects of secobarbital after prolonged use. It is unknown exactly how long it takes for tolerance to reach baseline. Secobarbital presents cross-tolerance with all barbiturates, meaning that after its consumption, all barbiturates will have a reduced effect. PW
Dangerous interactions
Although many drugs are safe on their own, they can become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with other substances. The list below contains some common potentially dangerous combinations, but may not include all of them. Certain combinations may be harmless in low doses of each but still increase the potential risk of death. Independent research should always be done to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption. PW
Overdose
Barbiturate overdose may occur when a barbiturate is taken in extremely heavy quantities or concurrently with other depressants. This is particularly dangerous with other GABAergic depressants such as benzodiazepines and alcohol since they work in a similar fashion but bind to distinct allosteric sites on the GABAA receptor, thus their effects potentiate one another. Benzodiazepines increase the frequency in which the chlorine ion pore opens on the GABAA receptor while barbiturates increase the duration in which they are open, meaning when both are consumed, the ion pore will open more frequently and stay open longer. Barbiturate overdose is a medical emergency that may lead to a coma, permanent brain injury or death if not treated promptly and properly. Barbiturate overdose has an increased frequency of serious adverse effects when compared to other depressants.[4] PW
Symptoms of a barbiturate overdose may include severe thought deceleration, slurred speech, confusion, delusions, respiratory depression, coma or death.[5] PW
TripSit factsheet
- Avoid
- All other CNS depressants. TS
Median lethal dose (LD50) in animals
Quoted from PubChem's Non-Human Toxicity Values, which come from the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). PubChem describes them as: “Quantitative non-human toxicity values (e.g., lethal dose) for this compound. The data shown here are mostly for lab animals (e.g., rat, mouse, guinea pig, and rabbit).” and defines the “LD50 (median lethal dose, the estimated amount of a chemical expected to kill 50% of test animals in a single dose)”. PC
| LD50 (as the source gives it) | Reference |
|---|---|
| LD50 Rat oral 125 mg/kg /Secobarbital sodium/ PC | O'Neil, M.J. (ed.). The Merck Index - An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck and Co., Inc., 2006., p. 1453 (via HSDB record 3182) |
| LD50 Rat iv 65 mg/kg /Seconal sodium/ PC | Lewis, R.J. Sr. (ed) Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 11th Edition. Wiley-Interscience, Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. 2004., p. 3192 (via HSDB record 3182) |
| LD50 Mouse oral 267 mg/kg PC | Lewis, R.J. Sr. (ed) Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 11th Edition. Wiley-Interscience, Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. 2004., p. 3192 (via HSDB record 3182) |
| LD50 Mouse ip 116 mg/kg PC | Lewis, R.J. Sr. (ed) Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 11th Edition. Wiley-Interscience, Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. 2004., p. 3192 (via HSDB record 3182) |
Testing
Effects
Overview
Secobarbital, also known as secobarbitone in British English and by the brand name Seconal, is a short-acting psychoactive drug of the barbiturate class which produces powerful anxiolytic, hypnotic, muscle relaxant and amnesic effects. The combination drug Tuinal has a combination of secobarbital and amobarbital. Secobarbital is used medically as a hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia and as an anticonvulsant in emergency situations, such as status epilepticus. Secobarbital works in a similar fashion to benzodiazepines, however, barbiturates bind to a different and distinct allosteric site on the GABAA receptor. PW
A Barbiturate derivative that possesses all the classic effects of todays Benzodiazepines, and the old Barbiturates. It's used in the treatment of Epilepsy, short term treatment for insomnia, and a preoperative medication for anaesthesia and anxiolysis for short surgical/diagnostic/therapeutic procedures. TS
Secobarbital, sold under the brand name Seconal among others, is a short-acting barbiturate drug originally used for the treatment of insomnia. It was patented by Eli Lilly and Company in 1934 in the United States. It possesses anesthetic, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, sedative, and hypnotic properties. In the United Kingdom, it was known as quinalbarbitone. Secobarbital is considered to be an obsolete sedative–hypnotic (sleeping pill) and has largely been replaced by the benzodiazepine family. It was widely abused, known on the street as "red devils" or "reds". Among barbiturates, secobarbital carries a particularly high risk of abuse and addiction, largely responsible for its deprecation and disuse by the 1970s.[1]
History
Legal status
- Internationally, secobarbital is listed in Schedule II of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances.[6] PW
- Canada: Secobarbital is a Schedule IV controlled substance.[7] PW
- Germany: Secobarbital is controlled under Anlage III BtMG (Narcotics Act, Schedule III) It can only be prescribed on a narcotic prescription form.[8] PW
- Russia: Secobarbital is a Schedule III controlled substance.[9] PW
- Switzerland: Secobarbital is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis B. Medicinal use is permitted.[10] PW
- United Kingdom: Secobarbitone is a Class B controlled substance.[11] PW
- United States: Secobarbital is a Schedule II controlled substance.[12] PW
Availability
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, an India-based company predominantly owned by the Japanese company Daiichi Sankyo, obtained the rights to market and to use the trade name Seconal from Eli Lilly in 1998 and did so until September 2008. The actual manufacturer of Seconal subsequent to the time Eli Lilly manufactured the drug was Ohm Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy. The rights to market Seconal were then sold to Marathon Pharmaceuticals, which became the marketer and trade-name holder. At the time Marathon Pharmaceuticals obtained ownership of the brand name, the retail price for one 100 mg capsule (depending upon prescription size and pharmacy) averaged about one U.S. dollar. During the time Marathon owned the brand name, the company greatly increased the price of the drug. By February 2015, when Marathon sold the rights to Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the average retail price per 100 mg capsule had risen to over thirty dollars. Since its acquisition of the trade name, Valeant Pharmaceuticals made little, if any, change to the pricing of Seconal. Despite the price increases implemented by Marathon Pharmaceuticals, Seconal was still manufactured by Ohm. In the United States, Seconal is available only in 100 mg capsules, as a sodium salt. The salt is a white hygroscopic powder that is soluble in water and ethanol.[13]
While generic versions of the drug became available after Eli Lilly's patent on Seconal expired, no companies manufacture the drug anymore in the United States. Until 2020, Valeant was the sole marketer of Seconal in the United States. As of 2021, Valeant discontinued the product, and Bausch Health became the sole supplier of Seconal. Bausch Health stopped manufacturing the product in January 2022.[2]
Pharmacology
Chemistry
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References
- Other Propyl-Methyl Carbinyl Allyl Barbituric Acid and its Salts
- Other Dembosky A. Drug Company Jacks Up Cost Of Aid-In-Dying Medication. 23 March 2016
- Journal / agency Friedman, G. D., Habel, L. A. Barbiturates and lung cancer: a re-evaluation. International Journal of Epidemiology. 1 June 1999. doi:10.1093/ije/28.3.375
- Journal / agency Twyman, R. E., Rogers, C. J., Macdonald, R. L. Differential regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor channels by diazepam and phenobarbital. Annals of Neurology. March 1989. doi:10.1002/ana.410250302
- Journal / agency Barbiturate intoxication and overdose: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
- Harm reduction site UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances
- Other Branch, L. S. Consolidated federal laws of Canada, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. 2022
- Other Anlage III BtMG
- Other Постановление Правительства РФ от 01.10.2012 N 1002 (ред. от 09.08.2019) “Об утверждении значительного, крупного и особо крупного размеров наркотических средств и психотропных веществ, а также значительного, крупного и особо крупного размеров для растений, содержащих наркотические средства или психотропные вещества, либо их частей, содержащих наркотические средства или психотропные вещества, для целей статей 228, 228.1, 229 и 229.1 Уголовного кодекса Российской Федерации” - КонсультантПлюс
- Other Verordnung des EDI über die Verzeichnisse der Betäubungsmittel, psychotropen Stoffe, Vorläuferstoffe und Hilfschemikalien
- Other Drugs penalties
- Other DEA Schedule II Drugs
- Other » Seconal Sodium®. 2013-07-31
- Other Marathon Pharma to Focusing Exclusively on Rare Disease
- Other Seconal Sodium - FDA prescribing information, side effects and uses
- Other Drug Shortage Detail: Secobarbital Capsules
Text and values on this page are quoted from PsychonautWiki (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), TripSit factsheets, PubChem (public domain). Each value links to the exact revision it came from.