Definition

Noun A proprietary name for the sodium salt of amobarbital, a barbiturate drug. It is used medically as a central nervous system depressant to produce sedation or induce sleep.

Usage

"Amytal" is used specifically to refer to the pharmaceutical preparation. It is typically discussed in medical, pharmacological, or historical contexts. * The doctor prescribed Amytal for its sedative effects. * Amytal was once commonly used as a pre-anesthetic medication. * The use of Amytal has declined due to the development of safer alternatives.

Advanced Usage

• "Amytal interview" or "Amytal interrogation": A historical and controversial forensic technique where the drug was administered intravenously in an attempt to lower a person's inhibitions and elicit information. This is based on the discredited concept of a "truth serum."
  • In mid-20th century espionage cases, suspects were sometimes subjected to an Amytal interview.

Variants and Related Words

• Amobarbital: The generic, non-proprietary name for the active barbiturate compound in Amytal.
• Barbiturate: The broader class of drugs to which amobarbital/Amytal belongs.
• Sedative-Hypnotic: The category of drug effects it produces (calming and sleep-inducing).

Synonyms

• Amobarbital sodium (the chemical name)
• Sodium amytal (a common variant name)

Note: These are chemical/generic synonyms. There are no direct, common-language synonyms for this specific proprietary drug name.

Noun

1. the sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnotic