Butabarb

Butabarb Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.

Butabarb, or Butisol, is a fast onset barbiturate with short duration of action compared to other barbiturates. This makes butabarbital a useful drug for treating severe insomnia and pre-operative anxiety. Butabarb is less commonly used in recent years, as more patients are typically prescribed benzodiazepines. Its short duration of action gives butabarbital a high abuse potential, comparable to secobarbital.

Butabarb was granted FDA approval on 5 June 1939.

Butabarb potentiates GABAergic neurons while inhibiting neuronal acetylcholine and glutamate receptors to produce sedation. Butabarb is an intermediate acting barbiturate with a duration of action of approximately 6-8 hours. The therapeutic index is quite wide as doses vary considerably from patient to patient. Patients should be counselled regarding the risk of worsening insomnia, drowsiness, falls, and complex behaviour while not fully awake.

Butabarb
Uses
Dosage
Side Effect
Precautions
Interactions
Uses during Pregnancy
Uses during Breastfeeding
Accute Overdose
Food Interaction
Half Life
Volume of Distribution
Clearance
Interaction With other Medicine
Contradiction
Storage

Trade Name	Butabarb
Availability	Discontinued
Generic	Butabarbital
Butabarbital Other Names	Butabarbital, Secbutabarbital, Secbutabarbitale, Secbutabarbitalum
Related Drugs	trazodone, hydroxyzine, lorazepam, promethazine, fentanyl, Ativan
Type
Formula	C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃
Weight	Average: 212.2456 Monoisotopic: 212.116092388
Protein binding	Data regarding the protein binding of butbarbital is not readily available. However, barbiturates generally bind to serum albumin.
Groups	Approved, Illicit
Therapeutic Class
Manufacturer
Available Country	United States
Last Updated:	September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am

Uses

Butabarb is a barbiturate drug used as a sedative and hypnotic.

Butabarb is indicated for use as a sedative or hypnotic. Butabarb should not be used to treat insomnia for longer than 2 weeks.

Butabarb is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: Insomnia

How Butabarb works

Barbiturates like butabarbital potentiate GABA-A receptors and inhibit receptors for neuronal acetylcholine, and kainate. GABA-A receptors are predominantly on the post-synaptic membrane, and upon activation, open chloride channels to hyperpolarize the neuron and decreased firing rate. Potentiation of GABAergic neurons produces sedation. Inhibition of neuronal acetylcholine receptors and glutamate receptors of the kainate subtype desensitize their respective neurons, producing sedation.

Toxicity

Patients experiencing an overdose may present with unsteady gait, slurred speech, nystagmus, confusion, poor judgement, irritability, and insomnia. Acute overdoses may present as CNS depression, respiratory depression, oligouria, tachycardia, hypotension, low body temperature, coma, and shock. An extreme overdose can lead to a flat EEG, resembling death, that is reversible provided there is no hypoxic brain damage. Overdose can be treated with symptomatic and supportive treatment.

Food Interaction

Avoid alcohol. Concomitant use of alcohol and barbiturates may lead to increased.

Butabarb Alcohol interaction

[Major] GENERALLY AVOID:

Concurrent acute use of barbiturates and ethanol may result in additive CNS effects,

including impaired coordination, sedation, and death.

Tolerance of these agents may occur with chronic use.

The mechanism is related to inhibition of microsomal enzymes acutely and induction of hepatic microsomal enzymes chronically.

The combination of ethanol and barbiturates should be avoided.

Butabarb Drug Interaction

Major: acetaminophen / hydrocodone, acetaminophen / hydrocodoneModerate: duloxetine, duloxetine, amitriptyline, amitriptyline, acetaminophen / butalbital / caffeine, acetaminophen / butalbital / caffeine, escitalopram, escitalopram, pregabalin, pregabalin, montelukast, montelukast, cholecalciferol, cholecalciferolUnknown: docusate, docusate, cyanocobalamin, cyanocobalamin

Butabarb Disease Interaction

Major: acute alcohol intoxication, drug dependence, liver disease, porphyria, rash, respiratory depressionModerate: adrenal insufficiency, depression, hematologic toxicity, osteomalacia, paradoxical reactions

Half Life

Butabarb has a half life of 100 hours but its duration of action is only 6-8 hours.

Elimination Route

Barbiturates such as butabarbital are predominantly eliminated in the urine. In dogs, 3-5% of the dose is eliminated in the urine as the unchanged parent compound.