Commercial Names
Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, Phenobarbital
Street Names
barbs, reds, red birds, phennies, tooies, yellows, yellow jackets
Barbiturates, therapeutically used as sedatives, hypnotics, anesthetics and anticonvulsants, are a class of of drugs derived from barbituric acid, a synthetic condensation product of malonic acid and urea.
They were first used in medicine in the early 1900’s and became popular in the 1960’s. It wasn't until 1903 that ‘barbital’, the first barbiturate, was used for medication. Since this time, barbiturates have been used essentially to induce sleep, relieve anxiety and to treat seizure disorders.
Acting as central nervous system depressants, barbiturates are sedatives with effects ranging from mild sedation to general anesthesia. These are usually prescribed to patients with sleeping disorders to help them sleep. That is why a selection of barbiturates has been used to treat insomnia. They have been also used to relieve nervousness or restlessness during the daytime.
Some barbiturates are useful as anxiety and tension relievers and administered prior to surgery. Some are used as anticonvulsants to help control seizures in certain disorders, such as epilepsy.
Barbiturates are present in various forms. Their difference among them is mainly on duration of their clinical effects, thus classifying them into “long-”, “intermediate-”, “short-”, and “ultrashort-” acting compounds. Some long-acting drugs may have effects that last up to 2 days. Others are ultrashort-acting with effects lasting for only a few minutes.
Barbiturates can be injected into the veins or muscles, but they are usually taken in pill forms. The street names of commonly abused barbiturates describe the desired effect of the drug or the color and markings on the actual pill. The following street names are adopted from WebMD: