Barbiturates Flashcards
1
Q
What are barbiturates?
A
potent CNS depressents with a narrow margin of safety
2
Q
What are they used for?
A
hypnotics and sedatives
3
Q
What were they commonly used to treat?
A
anxiety, agitation, and insomnia
4
Q
What have they recently been replaced with?
A
benzodiazepines
5
Q
What can barbiturates cause when used for hypnotics?
A
unnatural sleep because they suppress the REM phase of sleep
6
Q
How can they cause death?
A
depression of cardiovascular or respiratory
7
Q
How do they effect the CNS?
A
ranges from mild sedation to coma as it depresses the activity of nerves and skeletal
