What it means
An older group of central nervous system depressants. Phenobarbital is still used for some seizures, including in newborns and for alcohol withdrawal in some settings, and butalbital is found in some headache tablets. Barbiturates have mostly been replaced by safer drugs, because an overdose can stop breathing, they are habit-forming, and they interact with many other drugs. The Beers Criteria advise avoiding them in older adults.
For the nurse
Check breathing rate and level of alertness, and teach the client to avoid alcohol and other sedating drugs and not to stop the drug suddenly, which can cause seizures. Take fall precautions.
At a glance
| Drug class | sedative-hypnotic; anticonvulsant |
|---|---|
| Spanish | barbitúrico |
| Also written | barbiturates |
Related terms
central nervous system
The brain and the spinal cord together.
seizure
A sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that changes movement, feeling, behavior or awareness.
sedative-hypnotic
A drug that calms a person (sedative) or helps them fall asleep (hypnotic); the same drug can do either, depending on the dose.
phenobarbital
A long-acting barbiturate used to control seizures, including seizures in newborns.