Best Pentobarbital

Pentobarbital is a barbiturate (bar-BIT-chur-ate). Pentobarbital slows the activity of your brain and nervous system. Pentobarbital is used short-term as a sedative to treat insomnia, or to cause you to fall asleep for surgery. Pentobarbital is also used as an emergency treatment for seizures. Pentobarbital may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important Information

You should not use pentobarbital if you have a history of porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that causes symptoms affecting the skin or nervous system).

Before taking this medicine

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to pentobarbital or other barbiturates (butabarbital, phenobarbital, Luminal, Seconal, and others), or if you have:

• a history of porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that causes symptoms affecting the skin or nervous system).

To make sure pentobarbital is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• temporary or chronic pain;
• a history of addiction to phenobarbital or similar medicines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, and others).

Using pentobarbital during pregnancy could harm the unborn baby. If you use pentobarbital while you are pregnant, your baby could become dependent on the drug. This can cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the baby after it is born. Babies born dependent on habit-forming medicine may need medical treatment for several weeks. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Pentobarbital can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormonal birth control (condom, diaphragm with spermicide) to prevent pregnancy.

Sedatives used during surgery may affect brain development in a child under 3, or an unborn baby whose mother receives this medicine during late pregnancy. These effects may be more likely when the medicine is used for 3 hours or longer, or used for repeated procedures. Effects on brain development could cause learning or behavior problems later in life. Negative brain effects from anesthesia have been seen in animal studies. However, studies in human children receiving single short uses of anesthesia have not shown a likely effect on behavior or learning. More research is needed. In some cases, your doctor may decide to postpone a surgery based on these risks. Treatment may not be delayed in the case of life-threatening conditions, medical emergencies, or surgery needed to correct certain birth defects. Ask your doctor for information about all medicines that will be used during your surgery, and how long the surgery will last.