Secobarbital is a barbiturate derivative that serves as a short-term treatment for insomnia, offering an array of properties including anesthesia induction, anticonvulsant effects, and sedative-hypnotic capabilities. It finds use in inducing anesthesia before other general anesthetic agents and for brief surgical, diagnostic, or therapeutic procedures with limited painful stimuli. While barbiturates like secobarbital don't provide significant analgesia and might even incite excitation in the presence of pain, their metabolization primarily occurs through the hepatic microsomal enzyme system, with resultant metabolites being excreted mainly through urine, and occasionally through feces. Overdose manifestations encompass lethargy, lack of coordination, cognitive impairment, slowed speech, impaired judgment, drowsiness, shallow breathing, instability, and, in severe instances, potential progression to coma and fatality.

Secobarbital Pathway References