amobarbital
Noun: A barbiturate drug with sedative and hypnotic effects, historically used to relieve insomnia and as an anticonvulsant. It is a central nervous system depressant.
Amobarbital is used as a countable noun, typically in medical and pharmacological contexts. It refers to the specific chemical compound or a dose of it. - The doctor prescribed amobarbital for severe insomnia. - Amobarbital was once a common preoperative sedative.
- Medical Context:
- The patient's convulsions were controlled with an injection of amobarbital.
- Due to its high potential for abuse, amobarbital is now a controlled substance.
- Historical/General Context:
- Older medical textbooks often list amobarbital as a treatment for anxiety.
- "Amobarbital interview" or "Amobarbital-assisted interview": A historical forensic or psychiatric technique where the drug was administered to lower a subject's inhibitions, sometimes called a "truth serum" interview. Its reliability and ethics are widely questioned.
- The suspect's statement during the amobarbital interview was deemed inadmissible in court.
- Amobarbital sodium: The sodium salt formulation of the drug, which is soluble in water for injection.
- The amobarbital sodium was prepared for intravenous administration.
- Barbiturate (noun): The broader class of drugs to which amobarbital belongs.
- Phenobarbital is another long-acting barbiturate.
- Sedative-hypnotic: A general term for drugs that calm or induce sleep.
- Barbiturate: The specific drug class name.
Amobarbital is primarily a technical term. In modern clinical practice, it has largely been replaced by safer medications (like benzodiazepines) due to risks of dependence, overdose, and dangerous interactions with alcohol. Its contemporary use is very limited, making it a term encountered more in historical, legal, or specialized pharmacological discussions rather than in current general medical advice.
- a barbiturate with sedative and hypnotic effects; used to relieve insomnia and as an anticonvulsant